


Idle Magics: Secret Genesis

by Skiddy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Bedroom Sex, Blood Magic, Breasts, Cults, Decapitation, Demon Summoning, Demonic Possession, Demons, Eldritch, F/M, Gang Rape, Gangs, Gangsters, Gen, Gender Bender, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Genderswap, Huge Dick, Impregnation, Killing, Large Breasts, Mages, Magic, Monsters, Multi, Oral Sex, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnant, Pregnant Sex, Reluctant Sex, Robot, Rough Sex, Secret Police, Sex, Shower Sex, Stalker, Teen Pregnancy, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Urban Fantasy, Vaginal Sex, bbm - Freeform, creep, loser
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 05:48:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 26
Words: 30,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17278241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skiddy/pseuds/Skiddy
Summary: Sixty years ago the Rift opened in the sky and demons invaded the world. They were only beaten back by the secret magic orders around the world, who were forced to reveal themselves to save Earth. The more powerful demons who could not be banished back beyond the Rift were imprisoned within artifacts known as "Seals", which can also grant powers or power boosts to mages who harness them. Following the Rift's first opening and magic being known to the world, the International Magic Authority was founded. It is an organization bound to no single nation and operates independently. Kita Hiroshi is a new recruit in IMA, not even out of high school yet, and after receiving his father's Seal, seventeen years after he disappeared during a mission, he is targeted by the Five Sun Syndicate and is genderbent by a blood mage of theirs. Now having to come to terms with her new body, Hiroshi also has the mission of investigating the yakuza's ties to a mysterious organisation and bringing down the former IMA agent and terrorist Ishikawa Makoto, who also has a keen interest in bringing down the yakuza and the group they're working with.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> The story primarily takes place in the fictional city of Kurihoro in northern Japan, most likely in the Hokkaidō prefecture and near Ishikari or Sapporo. The city is seaside and also extends to the mountains. The Rift first opened in the early 21st century, most likely in the 2020s, meaning that the story roughly takes place in the 2080s. I aim to adapt this story into a "web-manga" once I have learned how to draw and am confident in my abilities. For now, I will be posting it here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sixty years ago the Rift opened in the sky and demons invaded the world. They were only beaten back by the secret magic orders around the world, who were forced to reveal themselves to save Earth. The more powerful demons who could not be banished back beyond the Rift were imprisoned within artifacts known as "Seals", which can also grant powers or power boosts to mages who harness them. Following the Rift's first opening and magic being known to the world, the International Magic Authority was founded. It is an organization bound to no single nation and operates independently. Kita Hiroshi is a new recruit in IMA, not even out of high school yet, and after receiving his father's Seal, seventeen years after he disappeared during a mission, he is targeted by the Five Sun Syndicate and is genderbent by a blood mage of theirs. Now having to come to terms with her new body, Hiroshi also has the mission of investigating the yakuza's ties to a mysterious organisation and bringing down the former IMA agent and terrorist Ishikawa Makoto, who also has a keen interest in bringing down the yakuza and the group they're working with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story primarily takes place in the fictional city of Kurihoro in northern Japan, most likely in the Hokkaidō prefecture and near Ishikari or Sapporo. The city is seaside and also extends to the mountains. The Rift first opened in the early 21st century, most likely in the 2020s, meaning that the story roughly takes place in the 2080s. I aim to adapt this story into a "web-manga" once I have learned how to draw and am confident in my abilities. For now, I will be posting it here.

The sirens of the van bellowed and wailed as it raced through the streets.  
“What's the situation?” Sergeant Kita Haruka asked the driver next to him.  
“A necromancer coven that’s been under investigation has been located,” replied the rookie named Hashimoto, “about a dozen or so hostiles are on site, according to our informant. They have access to firearms and mana amps and they're performing an unknown ritual, or soon will be.”  
“I'm putting this raid at Critical status. Lethal force is to be freely exercised. Remember, we're the International Magic Authority, not the police, we have more leeway when it comes to situations like these.”  
Haruka while handling his rifle and ammunition ran his fingers through his black hair.  
Full magazine plus six spares.  
He tightened the magazine belt that ran across his chest over his standard issue grey greatcoat uniform. He looked out the window as the van pulled up to the dilapidated building by the harbour. The IMA agents in the back of the van kicked the doors open and jumped onto the ground. Haruka looked at the red-haired rookie, who had sweat running down his face.  
“Hey, you'll be alright,” he reassured him, “I got your back.”  
“I'm fine, I'm ready. Let's go.”  
The two exited the van and met the other agents at the rear-end of the van.  
“Okay,” Haruka said, “we want to do this clean and we want to do this fast. Begin a sweep of the building in pairs of two and alert on comms when you engage the necromancers.” 

Kita Haruka readied his rifle and took the lead into the building with Hashimoto. The cold concrete floor made their footsteps heard to everyone. They passed from room to room, not finding anything or anyone until they neared the atrium. There were shouts followed quickly by gunfire from an unseen person. Haruka yanked Hashimoto behind the cover of a wall and peered his head from it himself. Bullets took a chunk out of the wall by his head, but he still saw where they were. He leaned closer to the rookie.  
“Second-floor balcony,” he whispered.  
The two popped out of cover and fires a quick burst of bullets at the gunman, who fell over the balcony and hit the ground with a sickening crunch.  
“Contact engaged and eliminated in the atrium, expect further contact from the hostiles.”  
Gunfire was the only thing heard in response over the radio.  
“Hostiles by maintenance!” one of the agents shouted. 

Haruka and Hashimoto sprinted to the agent's location, as did the others. He was blind firing around the corner when he saw them approach.  
“They're dug in deep near the entrance to the basement,” he reported.  
“Then that's where the ritual is taking place,” Haruka concluded.  
Haruka slung his rifle over his shoulder and clicked his fingers and summoning flames to his hands. He ran down the corridor toward the gunman and the amp-user and streamed beams of flames at the gunmen and deflected the lightning bolts sent at him by the amp-user. He knocked him into the wall with a blast of air and shot an ice spike through his chest. His body went limp as blood began to pool beneath him. Haruka waved the rest of the squad forward.  
“I want half of you to check for any remaining hostiles in the building and the other half to stop the ritual in the basement.”  
They nodded and hurried down the corridor while Haruka and his group went into the basement. 

It was dark and damp down there, but a bright light beamed beneath the set of double doors across the room. As ran towards it, a voice could be heard.  
“You are flesh in this world, master,” it said.  
Shit, we’re too late.  
They burst through the doors to the shock of the necromancers, but not to the shock of the slimy, tall, scaly figure standing in the middle of the summoning circle on the floor. The monster extended its claws and slashed the throat of necromancer standing closest to him and hurled his body at the IMA agents. In the blink of an eye, the monster was inches away from them. It swiped at the bald IMA agent’s abdomen, spilling his guts onto the floor. It then stomped on a floored agent’s head and crushed it like a melon. It roared a gut-wrenching howl as it disappeared into the ceiling. Necromancers and agents alike fled the room, dazed and confused. Some went further into the basement while others crawled back up the stairs. Haruka and Hashimoto scurried back up to the ground floor. An IMA agent behind them had their legs swiped from beneath them and was dragged back down the stairs to the basement. Haruka stood his ground and emptied his magazine on the monster before reloading and shooting again. The monster leapt from the shadows of the basement and sliced his arm deeply, also knocking the rifle from his hands. This time he dodged the monster’s attack and struck it in the face and pulled his knife from his belt.  
Even if it’s not a demon, this Spirit Bane will still make it hurt like hell and buy us some time.  
The monster shrugged off the punch and cut Haruka up his neck and across his face. In the split second he had he drove the Spirit Bane into the monster’s back. It knocked him to the floor as he screeched in pain and clawed at the wound. It bounded down the corridor and outside the building.  
“Unknown hostile, we need backup!” the radio sounded.

Outside a necromancer, clad in his now tattered black clothes, lying slaughtered on the ground. The monster raised its hand and several giant tentacles emerged from the harbour water. The IMA agents fired at the tentacles to no effect. The tentacles crushed two agents and one into the building. They coiled around the legs of the three remaining agents and pulled them screaming into the waters below. The monster ran along the harbour at the sight of the knife and crashed back through the window of the building.  
“It’s going back to the basement,” Hashimoto cried.  
As the two remaining IMA agents ran back into the building they began to notice blood, guts, viscera, bodies and body parts were strewn and scattered about.  
This thing is really fast, how can it move so fast and make so little noise? Haruka thought.  
They reached the doorway leading down to the basement once again.  
“Kobayashi? Kawaguchi? Tachibana? Suzuki? Is there anyone else left?” Haruka kept on radioing all the squad members.  
Nothing.  
“It’s just us,” commented a wounded Hashimoto.  
“Just us…”  
He picked up his rifle that he had left on the floor earlier.  
“I want you to stay here for an hour and if I don’t return go back to HQ and give the commissioner my ID tags,” Haruka said as he took the tags from his neck beneath his greatcoat.”  
“Wait, you want me to stay here?”  
“Whatever thing is it’s powerful and if I don’t make it out you need to tell HQ about it. They need to know.”  
“You can’t kill it on your own!”  
“And we can’t kill it together either. Everyone else is dead, the whole squad. I may not be able to kill this monster, but I can sure as hell hurt it.”  
He brandished his Spirit Bane.  
“Is… there anything else you want me to do?” Hashimoto asked.  
“Give this to my son when he’s grown up. You know what it is.”  
He reached into his pocket and produced a bronze medallion ingrained with glowing red patterns and tiny tubes filled with what looked like blood.  
“Where did you get this from? Hardly anybody knows where any of the seals are after the Rift opened.”  
“Found it,” he said.  
He once again checked his magazine and gripped onto his Spirit Bane tightly. He turned the flashlight on his rifle on and descended into the darkness for the last time.  
He won’t come back, Hashimoto thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kita Hiroshi is a high school student and lives with his sister and mother and is getting ready for school.

The morning light beamed through the open blinds and into Hiroshi's bedroom. His eyes stung as they opened and the sleet was wiped away. The first thing he heard was his radio blasting off. 

“Earlier this morning a high ranking member of the Five Sun yakuza syndicate was found dead in his home. He suffered several broken, fractured and shattered bones before being stabbed in the abdomen, which he bled to death as a result of. It's not known who killed him or why, but the police believe that he may have had a falling out with one of the syndicate heads. The Five Sun syndicate is known to have links with a necromancer coven known as the Mortal Horsemen, who were also responsible for the deaths of nearly an entire IMA squad nearly twenty years ago. The investigation is still underway.” 

Hiroshi hit the snooze button and yawned. 

_ Why doesn't news like this shock me anymore? It's just boring by now.  _

He stretched his limbs to click his joints and he adjusted his pyjamas shorts. 

_ I gotta get ready for school.  _

 

Hiroshi sleepily made his way to the bathroom in the hallway and begun brushing his teeth. While he did so he examined himself. He had shaggy black hair, a pair of brown eyes and baggy eyelids, coupled with his slender figure, made him look several years older than he was. After he spat and rinsed he filled the cup by the sink up with water and poured it over his messy and wild hair. 

_ There, that should keep my hair down.  _

He returned to his bedroom and took his off his desk chair and uncrumpled them. His baggy shorts and t-shirt slipped off easily and his boxers slipped on even easier. His gakuran was creased from where he hadn't ironed it in days, but he didn't care that much. It fit him and it wasn't uncomfortable, that’s all that mattered to him. He looked around his room for his sneakers. 

_ They gotta be here somewhere. _

He got on his knees and peeked under his bed in search for them.

_ There they are!  _

He tied the laces on slightly ragged shoes and stamped the floor to fit his feet in them. Afterwards he picked his satchel off the floor and placed it on his desk.  

_ Let’s see, do I have everything I need in it? Yep, I’m good to go.  _

He swiped his phone and earbuds off his desk on the as he left his room.

 

Before going downstairs he knocked on his sister’s bedroom, which was next to his and poked his head in. 

“You ready?” he asked. 

Kimiko’s head swivelled towards him as she packed her bag. 

“Nearly.”

“Well hurry up, because we’ll be late.”

Kimiko’s brunette hair was still sticking up in a few places and her uniform was scruffy. 

“You like like a mess, here, let me help you.”

Hiroshi took the brush from her bed and began combing her hair gently. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

When he was done he straightened out her shirt and folded down her collar. 

“Can you tuck your shirt in?”

She nodded and tucked in the ends of her shirt into her skirt and patted it out. 

“You’re not wearing a tie or blazer today?” 

She shook her head. 

“Do you have everything you need?”

She nodded. 

“Then let’s go.”

 

The two siblings hurried down the stairs and into the dining room. On the table was two plates of toast and boiled eggs, with a cup of green tea next to both of them. A woman a bit taller than Hiroshi exited the kitchen that joined the dining room. Her hair was loosely braided into a single tail and hung over her shoulder. Her large breasts and plump, curvy figure were partly hidden by a light grey long sleeved top and a pair of smart trousers. 

“Good morning my darlings!” she greeted. 

“Good morning mother,” they replied. 

“I’ve made up some scrumptious eggs, toast and green tea for your breakfast. Better eat it quickly or you’ll be late for school!” 

“Thank you mother,” said Kimiko.

Hiroshi wolfed down his breakfast and downed his tea, while his sister took her time. 

“So did you get that part-time job?” Hiroshi asked his mother while munching on an egg.

“I did! I start as a receptionist at the local International Magic Authority station tomorrow. Look, I even got an ID badge!” 

She took the badge from her pocket and presented it to her children. It showed her picture, employee information, her name, which is Kita Yoshiko and other such information.” 

“Pretty neat, don’t ya think?” 

Kimiko nodded with a mouthful of toast. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” Hiroshi said. 

“I have to show it to the guards when I go to work. I’ll look smart and cool when I wear it with my suit!” 

“You look cool without it, mother.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet Hiroshi, I couldn’t have wished for a better son.” 

“And daughter,” he added as he patted his sister on the shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, I love you too Kimiko darling!” 

“I love you too!” she said. 

Hiroshi swallowed the last of his egg and slurped the remnants of his tea. He stood up and received a hug from Yoshiko, as did Kimiko. He pulled on her sleeve. 

“Come on, we gotta go.”

“But I haven’t finished my toast!” she protested.    
“You can eat it on the way.”

Kimiko grabbed her bag and toast as she was pulled from her chair. 

“Bye my darlings!” their mother waved. 

“Bye mother,” they replied in unison. 

The two closed the gate of their house behind them and started walking along the pavement. 

“So what lesson do we have first?” Hiroshi asked.

“Umm, English, I think?” 

“Did you do your homework?” 

“Yep. Did you?” 

Kimiko kicked a stone and watched it bounce along the path. 

“Of course I did! How could I not have?” 

She did not reply and only ate her toast.

“Okay, I'll be honest, I stayed up late last night doing it because I left it so late.”

“I did mine when it was first assigned.” 

“That's probably one of the best things about you, you don't procrastinate like me. Both that and your cuteness.” 

A smile spread across her face as she lit up with happiness.

“Thank you Big Brother Hiroshi! You're very kind to me all the time.” 

They continued their journey and eventually reached the end of the estate and met the streets. 

“Wait!” a voice in the distance behind them called. 

They turned around and saw a short, fat boy running after them. He had a bowl-cut that parted down the middle and sweat patches under his armpits and man boobs. When he caught up to them he was hunched over, gasping for air. 

“Sorry I didn't meet outside your house Hiroshi, I overslept again.”

“Hey Isamu. It's no issue, I just got to make sure my sister isn't late.” 

He looked at Kimiko, who stood there smiling. 

“You're Kimiko, right? Hiroshi's sister?”

“Yep, that's me!” 

“I thought so. We can talk later, we got to go! I can't be late again or I'll be in big trouble.” 

 

The trio picked up their feet and made their way to school, barely making it on time. They blended into the crowd of students that were passing through the school gates and walked into the entrance of the school. When inside they opened their lockers and took off their sneakers, exchanging them for their school shoes. Isamu looked over to Hiroshi with his timetable in hand. 

“What day is it?” he asked him.

“Wednesday, my dude.” 

“Okay, thanks. I have English first.” 

“We both do. We're in the same class.” 

“Right, yeah.”

“Are you telling me you forgot what class you’re in?”

“Not really, I’ve just been focusing on playing Crimson Voyage 3 recently.” 

“When did that game come out?” 

“Last Friday. It’s a really good game, you should try it sometime!”

“Maybe, I don’t play video games a lot anymore, as I focus more on my school work and fitness.”    
“Suit yourself.”

Hiroshi closed his locker and made his way to class, dreading it as always. 

_ Another ordinary day, just like tomorrow will be. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kita Hiroshi is the son Kita Haruka. He lives with his mother and sister, the latter he looks after and keeps a close eye on. One of his few friends his the fat loser nerd Oshiro Isamu, who is not well liked in school and has few friends himself.

Hiroshi sauntered down the neighbourhood on a sunny blue-sky Thursday.

_ I’m glad mom drove Kimiko to school today. We’d both be late if I had to walk her again. I’ve only got about twenty minutes to get to school on time and I doubt she’d be any faster than I am. _

He adjusted the bag-strap than ran across his chest and shifted the bag’s weight to a place more comfortable. His slacked dark uniform rippled slightly in the gentle wind and contrasted his colourful surroundings.

Hiroshi halted at the traffic lights and pressed the button, observing a lone car driving past. Eventually the signal turned green and he walked to the other side of the road. His phone started vibrating like crazy and pulled it out. It was an alert, which read:

_ Warning! Rift Storm imminent, seek shelter immediately! _

He looked at the ever-present thin red crack in the sky widen and grow bigger. Within seconds the Rift was fully open and smokey forms began flying from it. Hiroshi ran down the street, but noticed a girl run in the opposite direction. He only caught a quick glimpse of her, but he saw that she was wearing his school's uniform, consisting of a skirt, white shirt, blazer and tie. Her medium-length hair blew in the wind. Hiroshi stopped and looked back at her before quickly deciding to follow her.

Another figure was running ahead of the girl, wearing a long coat the tail of which was tattered and shredded. His silver hair stopped just above his shoulders and he held a long wooden sheath wrapped in leather in his one hand. The forms descended to the ground and began to take their true shapes. They had coarse, unnatural skin and were twisted mockeries of man. One of the demons lunged at the man the girl was chasing, but in a lightning-fast motion he drew a sword from the sheath and bisected the creature mid-air. Warm blood splashed his body. He reached his hand toward the demon's body and started drawing a misty-red essence from its dying body and into himself. The girl summoned a kunai out of the air and threw it at the man, who effortlessly deflected it with his sword. She summoned two more, landing a hit in his upper arm. Another demon descended from Rift towards them. This demon was larger than the last one and had bones protruding from its back and skull. The demon swung for the man, but missed as he dodged it and made his escape. It turned its attention to the girl, who had her kunais ready, and lifted the car next to it in the air. Hiroshi, who was watching from the street corner, ran in an almost automatic motion and tackled the girl out of the way of the car. The car crashed into the ground behind them, mangled and ruined. He briefly looked the girl on top of him in the eyes.

“Minami?” he asked.

He recognised the girl as Minami Hoshiko, his wealthy and successful classmate.

“I had no idea you’re a mage,” he continued.  

She didn’t respond. Instead, she summoned a barrage of kunais at the demon. Some of them hit the demon in its torso and some didn’t hit it at all, but one did hit its eye. The demon howled in pain and clutched its wound before swatting Minami aside and raising his foot above Hiroshi. The foot descended as Hiroshi closed his eyes, but he felt no pain. Instead, a searing hot blue flame exploded from within him and engulfed the demon in seconds. The monster tumbled backwards, thrashing and writhing in pain in a vain attempt to extinguish the flames that drowned out its screaming. Soon, nothing of it remained and the flames died out, leaving a large scorch mark.

Minami raised herself from the ground with a pained expression and looked down the street.

“Damn, he’s gone!”

“Who’s gone?” Hiroshi said breathlessly.

“My target, Ishikawa Makoto.”

“The terrorist? You speak like you’re an IMA agent.”

“It might be because I am. Youngest agent to be recruited in the world. At age twelve, specifically. Before that I was being trained in magic by other IMA agents and some ex-government mages.”

“I feel like I should be more surprised.”

“I’m glad you already recognise my superiority,” she joked.

“Don’t confuse recognition of superiority with recognition of predictability.”

“And here I was, thinking that I had finally met a potential equal of mine. That can be changed, though, as judging by your Source Vent, you have the potential to be a powerful mage.”

“Source Vent?” Hiroshi said puzzled.

“I forget that non-mages aren't taught about magic. A Source Vent is where the source of one's magic is vented into the person's surroundings in its raw form. In most cases a Source Vent occurs during highly stressful situation, such as this one. The stronger the Source Vent, the more powerful a mage they can be. And you, Kita, had a strong one indeed.”

“So what happens now?”

“Now, we watch the Rift Storm end in about three, two, one…”

The gaping rift in the sky closed once more as the demons were sucked back into it. It was once again no more than a crack in the sky.

“And now we go to school and make you a mage.”

“You want to make me a mage?” he asked the Principal and Agent White, who sat across him in the Principal's office.

“Indeed we do,” answered the bald Agent White, “Agent Minami has expressed that during today’s Rift Storm an… incident occurred in which you showed great magical potential. I trust her undoubtedly and believe that training you as a mage and possibly even making you an IMA agent will do best to prevent any further incidents.”

The Principal adjusted her glasses and fixed her purple hair.

“I fully support his decision” she said, “and as a first step you will be entered into the school's exclusive Magic Club, which there are only a handful of members of who are mages like Minami as well.”

“I… don't know what to say.”

“Clearly. You don't need to say anything, for now.”

“So what  _ does _ happen now?”

“Agent White will take you to the Club's training area beneath the school for your first training. Your training will replace your low-priority lessons.”

Agent White stood up and headed toward the door, grabbing Hiroshi by the scruff of his blazer while doing so. He led him through the corridors to the small restricted section of the school. There, he unlocked the metal door that read  _ IMA Training Grounds  _ and held it open for Hiroshi. Hiroshi went downstairs first and along a shot corridor and to another metal door. Behind that door was a large room decorated with exercise machines, equipment, training weapons and other such objects. Minami, who was wearing her sports uniform, was sat on the floor and examining a ball of flames that floated above the palm of her hand. She snapped her hand closed and looked Hiroshi up and down.

“So what can you do?” she asked.

“Fight,” he shrugged. “Not much else besides that.”

Minami sprang from the floor and approached him.

“Good. That’s all you need to be able to do for now.”

She paced back a bit and circled Hiroshi before stopping, digging her feet into the floor and raising her fists.

“Show me what you got.”

Hiroshi sprinted toward Minami and swung at her face. She easily dodged it and landed a hit square in the jaw. He tumbled backwards and wiped a droplet of blood from the corner of his mouth. He jabbed her in the face, but she seized his arm and twisted it behind his back with her one hand and put him in a headlock with her other arm. She kicked his legs from underneath him with her leg and dropped him to the floor. He tried to get back up and recover, but a kick to the face kept him down.

“You’re good,” Minami said, “but not as good as me.”

“And you’re stronger than I thought you’d be.”

“I guess we both had the wrong expectation of each other.”

“We do.”

Hiroshi batted Minami’s legs from under her with his arm and scrambled towards the weapons rack. He drew a training sword from the rack and threw a second one to Minami. The two charged at each other and their blunt swords clashed against each other. He drew his sword backwards in an overhead arc, but was struck in his exposed abdomen by Minami. He doubled over, but took the opportunity presented to him and spun around and struck Minami in her back. She was thrown off her balance when her breasts bounced as a result of her body being thrown forward. She pivoted around and struck him in the head with her own sword. Hiroshi’s head rang and he felt dizzy, but he endured and composed himself. Their swords clashed again and Hiroshi hit Minami in the abdomen. In return, she struck his wrist, making him drop the sword and then proceeded to strike him several more times before knocking him to the floor.

“Not half bad,” she said, “but you need improvement if you ever want to be able to compare to me.”  

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiroshi has been inducted as an IMA trainee upon the strength of his Source being discovered. He is being taught by a fellow mage at his school, Minami Hoshiko.

Hiroshi was sat on his knees in a small room. In front of him was a small table with a large crystal blue ball on it. Minami walked past Hiroshi and sat opposite him.

“So Kita, tell me, what do you think you know about magic?”

“Nothing that most people wouldn’t know. The general population isn’t taught about magic. I’ve heard people say mages get their power from demons. I’ve also heard that they get their powers from eating peoples’ souls.”

“Those are more like half-truths.”

“You mean that mages can get powers from demons and eating souls?”

“From demons, yes. Eating souls boosts a mage’s power, instead of granting it. Luckily, it’s a difficult power to develop and few mages ever pursue it.”

“Can you eat a demon’s soul?” Hiroshi asked.

“Ask Ishikawa Makoto.”

“He eats demon souls?”

“What do you think he was doing out in a Rift Storm? Eating a demon’s soul can vastly improve a mage’s power, depending on how powerful the demon itself is. But enough of that now, focus.”

Minami placed a finger on the crystal ball and rolled it slightly.

“This ball is what allows a person to use magic. It works by the person absorbing it into their being. Unlike with older generations of Mana Spheres, the newer ones come pre-packaged with magical knowledge, meaning that your learning of magic will be easier and quicker. Some mages argue that you’re not really learning with these newer versions, but they’re just whistling Dixie if they think they’ll actually be able to change the IMA Council’s mind.”

“So how do I… absorb it, exactly?”

“Place your hands on it and clear your mind. Focus on the ball, forget everything else. Open yourself up, accept the ball, welcome it, want it.”

Hiroshi cleared his mind and focused solely on the Mana Sphere in front of him. He felt a connection begin to form and a tingling sensation spread throughout his body. Suddenly the sensation overcame him and began to burn every fibre in his body. The seconds stretched out into minutes until the sensation stopped. He hadn’t even realised he had shut his eyes, but when he opened them the Mana Sphere was gone and black soot stained his hands.

“That was… intense. Is it normally like that?”

“Yep. Time for your first lessons.”

Minami stood up without giving Hiroshi a say in the matter. She took him down the corridor and into a room with several podiums with tomes on each of them. The podiums each faced a mannequin made out of what seemed like skin or flesh.

“Here, the mage students practice and learn magic. Pick any podium.”

“What are those things? They look like humans but without any faces. They’re so creepy.”

“Ah, those things, they’re organically grown training dummies that are used to simulate effects of magic on a person. Don’t worry, they’re not actually alive.”

Hiroshi opened the tome on the podium nearest to him and looked at the contents page. The first section was about elemental magic, so he decided to start there. On the pages were strange rooms and diagrams and writing next to them.

_ This spell is a simple one that nearly all trainees learn. The spell summons a flame of the caster's own desired strength and size that they can manipulate as they wish. _

Hiroshi focused on the diagrams on the page and cleared his mind. He felt… something, like his mind was absorbing the knowledge of the spell without him actually understanding the spell itself. The knowledge trickled into his mind drop by drop, his brain absorbing the incantations and instructions for the spell. Within minutes he had learned the spell, which was ingrained in his mind.

He clicked his fingers and brought forth a flame the size of a baseball. It hovered in his hand and dragged through the air as he moved it from side to side. He brought his arm back and hurled it at the dummy’s face, burning away skin and flesh. Hiroshi stepped back in disgust, almost puking. The wound then began to stitch itself together and heal within seconds.

“That’s probably the grossest thing I’ve ever seen,” Hiroshi said.

“Now, do it again, but put more fury and power into it,” Minami instructed.

He composed himself and put his fingers together.

_ Okay, do it with more anger! _

His fingers rubbed against each other hard and the friction summoned a brighter and even bigger flame than last time. Once again he hurled it at the dummy’s face, but this time burning away everything to the skull, which had no mouth or eyes. Like before, it healed itself quickly.

“I think I got the hang of this.”

“Just remember to practice regularly. Magic is like a muscle, the more you exercise it the better you’ll be at doing it.”

“Right, like a muscle. So what happens now?” 

“You train by yourself. Feel free to take a tome. I'm not your teacher.” 

“We're not going to spar?”

“I kicked your ass with my hand and a stick, I'd destroy you with magic.” 

“I didn't see you destroy Ishikawa.” 

“Really? You expect me to easily kill one of the world's most wanted terrorists? I know I'm great, but I'm not that good. Not yet, anyway. You only know a single spell and have no training in hand to hand combat at all. I know both of those and more.”

“Funny how you only used a single spell when fighting Ishikawa as well.”

“Because I wasn't trying to kill him. Plus he has higher tier spell deflection wards, so bathing him in fire would have done nothing. Summoned weapons aren't deflected by spell wards, such as with my kunais. If you learn hard enough you may even be able to summon a weapon yourself.” 

Minami strutted away with a sense of pride about her. Hiroshi scowled at her behind her back, but stopped when he caught a glimpse of her butt. 

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a grueling training session with Minami, Hiroshi gets a visit from Mr Hashimoto, the only father-figure in his life.

Hiroshi sat on his bed with his legs crossed and the tome on his lap. In front of him was a ball. He looked at the page of the book, which read:

_ This spell summons a gust of wind that the caster can change in speed and force. _

Next to writing was a diagram of the spell, which Hiroshi had learned earlier. He reached out at the ball and tensed the muscles in his hand. Air streamed from his hand and seeped beneath the ball before lifting it to face level with Hiroshi. Then the ball dropped back to the bed, as if someone had dropped it. There was a tingling sensation throughout his hand and arm.

_ Hmm, perhaps it’s because I’m not used to magic yet? I’ve only started learning magic today. _

He closed the tome and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling.

_ I wonder what learning magic was like for dad. I wish he could be here to teach me. _

He hopped off his bed and looked out of the window. It was raining again. A black car pulled up outside and a man stood out. He had a mop of red hair that was flattened by the rain and a pair of rectangular glasses. He walked towards the house and rang the doorbell. Hiroshi rushed downstairs and unlocked the door. It was Mr Hashimoto, who greeted him with a smile.

“Mr Hashimoto!” he cried out before hugging him.

“Hey Kita, it’s been a while since I’ve visited. Is Yoshiko home?”

“No, she’s on an errand.”

“And what of your sister?”

“Sleeping.”

“Ah, so you have the house to yourself?”

“It’s like that sometimes.”

There was a pause before Hashimoto spoke.

“I heard you’ve begun your IMA training. Congratulations are in order.”

“Thanks, though it wasn’t exactly my choice to do so.”

“There’s… something I have to show you in the attic.”

“Why? What’s this about?”

“I’ll explain it when we’re in the attic.”

Hiroshi opened the hatch and pulled down the ladder. The two climbed it and Mr Hashimoto brought his attention to a box that had the name Haruka written on it.

_ Haruka, that was my father’s name. _

“Was this my father’s?”

Hashimoto opened it and inside was an old IMA uniform as well as a knife and some other objects, one of which was a silver amulet that had several indents and grooves across its surface and edge. In the indents and grooves glowed a bright red substance that Hiroshi didn’t recognise. Hashimoto took the amulet by its chain and presented it to Hiroshi.

“This is what’s known as a Seal. When the demons invaded when the Rift first appeared in the sky, there were an unknown number of powerful demons that were unable to be banished by the mage orders that came out of hiding. So instead, they decided to trap them within specially crafted artefacts. They took various shapes, such as cubes, rings and amulets, such as this one. If handled carefully, a mage can use them to enhance their power as well as either temporarily summoning the demon to fight for you or taking on its form. As long as the seal remains intact the demon will stay imprisoned, so make sure it stays safe. Before your father disappeared, he told me to give this to when you were ready. He obviously knew that you’d turn out to be a mage like him, so he must have wanted you to get a head start. Take it, it’s yours.”

“This… is a lot of responsibility. Are you sure I’m the right person to have it?”

“Of course! Your father knew and I know that you will grow to do great things. You already make your mother proud and she’d be hopeless without you and so would your sister.”

“Thanks… say, how do I work this?”

“That’s for you to discover, but what you need to know is to just not break it.”

“Again, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Hashimoto’s earpiece sounded.

“All units, there is an active hostage situation involving an unregistered mage at the Kurihoro General Hospital. All nearby units respond.”

“Sergeant Hashimoto reporting, I am in the vicinity. I’ll be there ASAP.”

He looked back at Hiroshi.

“Sorry, I got to run. We’ll catch up again sometime!”

He quickly ran downstairs and got back in his car, driving away.

Hiroshi looked down at the amulet in his hand and ran a finger across the indents and grooves.

_ What horrors have you committed? What power can you grant me? _


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When walking to school the next day, Hiroshi, Kimiko and Isamu get jumped by yakuza thugs.

The amulet hung from Hiroshi's neck beneath his shirt. He could feel a very faint hum emanate from within it. He, Isamu and Kimiko walked down the same route they always did, both of them slurping from soda cans.

“So did you see any demons yesterday?” Isamu asked.

“Uh, two, I think.” Hiroshi replied.

“Really? What did they look like?”

“Well, they were both red and had rough skin. One was no bigger than me, but the other one was massive, probably eight or ten feet tall.”

“That's so cool, did you fight any?”

“No, but I saw one burst into flames. That was kinda cool.”

“I bet it was!” commented Kimiko.

“It was,” Hiroshi said as a group of men standing on the street corner spotted them and began approaching the students.

“But I’ll have to tell you another time…”

There were three of them. The one in the middle had the sides of his head shaved with the remainder on top slicked back and wore a white vest with a black sleeveless jacket over it. The man on his right had a shaved head and wore a hoodie, while the man on his left had a shaggy black hair and wore a baggy white shirt.

“Who do we have here?” the man in the middle asked. “This is Five Sun territory now, didn’t you know?”

“You gotta pay a fee for safe passage, lest something unfortunate happen to you,” the yakuza member on the leader’s right said.

“The Five Oyabun wouldn’t be happy if you don’t comply,” the leader added.

“I really don’t care if your bosses aren’t happy with what you do or don’t do,” Hiroshi explained.

“Oh, but you should be. You see, how happy our bosses are affects how we do our job. If they’re not happy, we might have to resort to some… unorthodox methods to get our jobs done and make our bosses happy. So, seeing as you now understand the situation, I advise you to do as you’re told. Hell, you might as well throw in the girl so we can have some fun and the fatty as a punching bag.”

“Hiroshi…” Isamu quivered, “y-you’re not gonna listen to them, a-are you?”

“Of course not,” he said as he turned to him, “who do you think I am?”

The yakuza leader threw a punch at Hiroshi, who in response summoned the air to push him back.

“Oh, a mage, I see?”

Hiroshi swung at the yakuza with his left fist, which was caught, but he then he brought up his right with flames surrounding his hand. The punch connected with his cheek and seared the skin away before sending him to the ground. He then pushed himself off the ground and raised a kick to the bald yakuza’s head and swept the legs of the third yakuza from under him. He then kicked the bald yakuza in the head again and approached the third yakuza.    

“P-Please, don’t h-hurt me!” he cried out.

“Leave,” Hiroshi instructed.

The yakuza did as he was told, scampering away. The yakuza leader picked himself up, clutching at the wound on his face and rushed towards Hiroshi. The amulet beneath his shirt lit up and red electricity crackled between his fingers. He threw the electricity at him, striking him in the chest and knocking him back to the ground. He looked at Isamu and Kimiko.

“You saw all of that, didn’t you?”

The two nodded with their mouths agape.

“Shit.”

“You’re a mage?” the two said in unison.

“Not necessarily, I only started training like yesterday. I’m only a trainee.”

“You must be a really good one!” said Kimiko.

“Heh, they said I had a lot of potential, so you’re not really wrong there.”

He looked down at the two incapacitated yakuza.

“We should probably go now.”

“Agreed,” Isamu said, “I’m too smart to die.”

During lunchtime later that day Hiroshi was sat alone on the roof. Between his hands was a small fireball. He focused on it, making it bigger and more powerful. He siphoned more of his power from his Source into it, but it quickly flickered and exploded into a puff of smoke. He coughed and wafted the smoke away before snapping his head to the entrance of the roof and hurling a fireball towards Minami, who dispersed it with an air push.

“That was a rather weak fireball. You need more practice in strengthening your spells.”

“Thanks. It’s not like I just started learning magic yesterday.”

“There’s no excuse for laziness, though I wouldn’t exactly call your little scrap with the Five Sun Syndicate lazy, more like stupid.”

“Hey, they attacked me, it was self-defence.”

“That’s not the issue, the issue is that you revealed your magic to the yakuza and knocked them senseless. Furthermore, you let them get away  _ and _ you used your father’s amulet on them. If you just killed them, everything would be okay.”

“H-Hey, how do you know about my amulet?”

“Are you kidding? With the cloaking spell on it having presumably worn off I could sense it from a mile away. You better learn a cloaking spell because with that amulet being detectable it’ll draw rogue mages and other such deviants to it like moths to a flame, such as the yakuza you pissed off. The Five Oyabun would  _ love _ to get their hands on that Seal.”

“Maybe you should focus on your own problems before lecturing me.”

“Kita, I’m not the one who just drew the attention of the Five Sun Syndicate. Your mess-up will affect all of us, as they’ll do anything to get that Seal.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Others can’t, like Oshiro and Kimiko. But no worries, the police have been notified and will issue extra protection to the area.”

“Okay, I admit, I fucked up, but I’ll still be able to fix the situation.”

“We’ll see about that,” Minami said, swaying her hips.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After school, Hiroshi decides to visit Isamu to see what he's been up to.

Isamu’s room was poorly lit and messy. He sat at his desk on his computer, tapping away at his keyboard. He had several wall-mounted monitors, one of which was showing the news.

“Almost thirty years ago the Five Sun Syndicate was formed, making one of the largest yakuza gangs in modern Japan, boasting from one hundred thousand members to five hundred thousand, the police estimate. The government, as well as the International Magic Authority, has been at war with the yakuza gang for years, with the past ten years being described as the most dangerous of the fighting. The gang, which employs illegal and rogue mages, has a tight grip on the black market, especially when concerning illegal, counterfeit and unregistered magical items. It is being reported that one of its leaders, one of the Oyabun, has escaped prison after a group of armed individuals broke into the prison and freed him. Several people were injured, though no one was killed. The Oyabun was set to be hanged next week.”

Isamu looked at the monitor with the news on it.

“Huh, that’ll be interesting to monitor.”

He turned his attention back to the monitor in front of him, coding away.

“Isamu!” his mother shouted up to him, “your friend is here to see you!”

He raised an eyebrow and opened his bedroom door. It was Hiroshi.

“Hey Isamu.”

“Oh, hey, what are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d drop by and see how you’re doing, as my training has caused us to hang out less.”

“Thanks, you want to come inside?”

“Sure.”

Isamu opened the door all the way and flipped the light switch.

“It’s not much, or the cleanest, but this is my room.”

“Not bad, that’s a good setup you got there.”

“T-Thanks, not a lot of people come in here.”

“So what have you been doing? Coding or something?”

“Well, I’ve been programming an AI to use for a robot one day?”

Hiroshi stared at Isamu.

“You’re serious aren’t you?”

“Uh huh.”

“What… do you plan to do with a robot?”

“I’m not too sure. Use it to help around the house, sell the schematics to the government maybe. I’m having no massive issues creating the AI, actually building the platform for it is where the problem lies.”

“Whatever you do, don’t get a loan from the yakuza to fund it.”  

“I wouldn’t dream of it, I’m not that stupid.”

“You’re far from stupid, Isamu, considering that you’re programming an AI at what, eighteen?”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I think you got a bright future ahead of you. Does anyone else know about this?”

“Not really. My mom knows I code, but she doesn’t know about this.”

“How is the AI coming along?”   

“Not too bad. I'd say I'm nearly halfway done with it. It was a challenge at first, especially with the targeting parameters and power balancing, but those issues are pretty much gone at this point.”

“Have you found anyone to buy the materials for the robot from?”

“Not yet, though I have considered going to IMA or the government for a grant.”

“Better choices than the yakuza.”

“Hey, want to see something cool?”

“Sure, what is it?”

Isamu went to one of his monitors and began searching through his files.

“So about a month ago I got bored and decided to hack IMA and the yakuza to see what they've been up to.”

He opened one of the files and showed it to Hiroshi.

“What am I looking at? Emails?”

“Yep, but look at what they're saying. Look at the sender, the recipients and the dates.”

“‘Oyabun of Fire, since the incident at the docks my fellow IMA informants warn that we're close to being discovered. I urge you to continue your operations with extreme caution. Communication may be less frequent from this point forward.’ Interesting. It's dated seventeen years ago. So the yakuza have informants in IMA?”

“Used to. A few weeks after that email the sender and a bunch of other IMA personnel were killed by Ishikawa Makoto, right before he became a terrorist. Presumably the others that were killed were also sleeper agents or informants.”

“So that proves the rumours that there's corruption within IMA, doesn't it?”

“Kinda, I wasn't able to access the recent files on their systems, too high security, but their older files were practically asking to be stolen.”

“So what else did you find?”

“Not much of note. There are some invoices, shipping orders, basically a bunch of boring stuff. But there was something that caught my eye. An email from the Wind Oyabun to the Fire Oyabun from about nine years ago. Read it.”

_ Brother of Fire, _ it began,  _ as you know our benefactors have been suffering shortages in resources this quarter. I want you to increase our drugs and magic items production in your territories for the next year. Our other brothers and I are doing the same. Yours dearly, Brother of Wind. _

“So, the yakuza have connections to some mysterious group. Have you taken all of this information to the police?”

“I gave it to them a few weeks ago. It’s why IMA is under investigation for corruption and the unlawful annexation of Sutoku Island.”

“Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that. I can’t imagine what the IMA president was even thinking by doing that. Setting himself up a small nation to do with as he pleases. I’m surprised the United League of Nations hasn’t torn him apart already.”

“They’re busy doing whatever it is they do nowadays. Probably something irrelevant like they did back when the United Nations still existed.”

“Keep me informed about any more information you come across in the future. I wanna know who I’m going to be working for.”

  
  


“How is the AI coming along?”  
“Not too bad. I'd say I'm nearly halfway done with it. It was a challenge at first, especially with the targeting parameters and power balancing, but those issues are pretty much gone at this point.”  
“Have you found anyone to buy the materials for the robot from?”  
“Not yet, though I have considered going to IMA or the government for a grant.”  
“Better choices than the yakuza.”  
“Hey, want to see something cool?”  
“Sure, what is it?”

Isamu went to one of his monitors and began searching through his files.  
“So about a month ago I got bored and decided to hack IMA and the yakuza to see what they've been up to.”  
He opened one of the files and showed it to Hoshiro.  
“What am I looking at? Emails?”  
“Yep, but look at what they're saying. Look at the sender, the recipients and the dates.”  
“‘Oyabun of Fire, since the incident at the docks my fellow IMA informants warn that we're close to being discovered. I urge you to continue your operations with extreme caution. Communication may be less frequent from this point forward.’ Interesting. It's dated seventeen years ago. So the yakuza have informants in IMA?”  
“Used to. A few weeks after that email the sender and a bunch of other IMA personnel were killed by Ishikawa Makoto, right before he became a terrorist. Presumably the others that were killed were also sleeper agents or informants.”  
“So that proves the rumours that there's corruption within IMA, doesn't it?”  
“Kinda, I wasn't able to access the recent files on their systems, too high security, but their older files were practically asking to be stolen.”  
“So what else did you find?”  
“Not much of note. There are some invoices, shipping orders, basically a bunch of boring stuff. But there was something that caught my eye. An email from the wind Oyabun to the Fire Oyabun from about nine years ago. Read it.”  
Brother of Fire, it began, as you know our benefactors have been suffering shortages in resources this quarter. I want you to increase our drugs and magic items production in your territories for the next year. Our other brothers and I are doing the same. Yours dearly, Brother of Wind.  
“So, the yakuza have connections to some mysterious group. Have you taken all of this information to the police?”  
“I gave it to them a few weeks ago. It’s why IMA is under investigation for corruption and the unlawful annexation of Sutoku Island.”  
“Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that. I can’t imagine what the IMA president was even thinking by doing that. Setting himself up a small nation to do with as he pleases. I’m surprised the United League of Nations hasn’t torn him apart already.”  
“They’re busy doing whatever it is they do nowadays. Probably something irrelevant like they did back when the United Nations still existed.”  
“Keep me informed about any more information you come across in the future. I wanna know who I’m going to be working for.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While in school the next day, the Five Sun Syndicate attacks the school.

Hiroshi was focused on his work in class, writing silently. His teacher said something, but he didn't pay much attention to it. That was when others in the class started speaking as well and were looking out the window at the entrance to the school. Several black vans and motorbikes pulled up by the gates and black suited men got out, making their way to the doors of the school.

“Under your desks!” the teacher shouted.

Soon there was shouting coming from the ground floor and gunshots followed by screaming.

_ I should do something!  _ Hiroshi thought.

“Fan out and secure the classrooms!” one of the gunmen shouted.

Two gunmen entered the room and one of them knocked the teacher to the ground. They were both wearing motorcycle helmet.

“Stand up!” one of them shouted.

The students did as they said.

“Which of you are IMA trainees?”

The students looked at each other in confusion. One of the gunmen walked down Hiroshi's row until the two were just inches away from each other. He swung his arm in an upward arc, connecting the uppercut with the gunman’s chin and knocking him to the ground with a wind blast. The other gunman turned the gun towards Hiroshi, but he summoned wind to launch a table flying into him.  He kicked the guns away from them and rushed out the classroom.

More yakuza spotted him and chased him down the corridor until another group of yakuza appeared from around the corner in front of him. He clutched at the Seal that hung from his neck and he pointed at them. Red lightning shot from his hands and struck them. The lightning engulfed their bodies and when it dissipated only dust remained.

_ What? That never happened before! No matter. _

He cleared his head of the thought, focusing on the situation at hand.

The yakuza started potshots at him. Some of the bullets whizzed past, nearly hitting their target. In response, Hiroshi summoned flames and wind at the same time, sending a large swathe of flames hurtling towards the yakuza. The bullets they fired melted before they reached their targets and the yakuza themselves stopped before the flames.

_ Ha! That stopped them. _

Hiroshi continued running and turned a corner. Out of nowhere a yakuza grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. He didn’t wear a bike helmet like the others, instead he had a shaved head and a scar going across his cheek.

“So you’re the troublemaker we’ve been sent for, huh? Well, not just for you, but for that amulet of yours as well.”

Hiroshi head-butted him, staggering him as blood welled from his nose.

He tried to make a run for it while he could, but the yakuza reached out and a red light glowed from his hand. Suddenly, Hiroshi couldn’t move, paralysed and helpless. The yakuza seized him by the collar and socked him in the side of the head. He then raised him into the air with what Hiroshi guessed was blood magic.

“You… are a real pain in the a-“

The yakuza was cut off when he was impaled through the chest with a kunai from behind. Minami stepped into view, putting her hand on his shoulder.

“I think that’s enough of that,” she said.

The yakuza collapsed to the ground as blood drained from his body.

Hiroshi too fell to the ground, but Minami helped him up.

“So, what did you plan to achieve by running about the school?”

“Draw the attention of the yakuza so they don’t hurt anyone. That guy said they’re after me and my Seal.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I arrived when I did, isn’t it? Come on, we should finish the rest off.”

The two turned back around the corner Hiroshi came from and watched as the flames died down. When it did the yakuza open fired once again, but Minami created a shield of ice in front of her and Hiroshi before launching it towards them and Hiroshi summoning a large fireball that exploded, flooring them.

“I think that’s all of them,” Hiroshi said.

“You’re… not getting off that easily,” a voice groaned.

It was the blood mage. He clasped his hands together and sent a red  bolt of light towards Hiroshi before collapsing once again. The light moved too fast to dodge. When it hit him it exploded, blinding everyone, including the students that left their classrooms to see the fight. Every inch of Hiroshi’s body was overwhelmed with a tingly aching sensation. He felt his bones stretch and change as his body became heavier and curvier, especially in his chest and lower body. His hair covered his face as it grew longer and just past his shoulders. The light faded and he was shocked by what he saw. On his chest was a perky pair of fat tits that stretched his shirt to the point where it looked like the buttons were ready to pop off. He had soft, thick thighs and a huge plump ass.

“What-“ he said in a feminine voice.

_ No, I can’t be… _

He patted his crotch. Nothing.

_ A girl… _

__

Chatter and glares sprang to life among the gathered students as they all ogled Hiroshi, even Minami was taken aback.

“O-Okay everyone, just stay back, clear the area, the police should be on their way. Please return to your classes,” she announced.

She then turned back to Hiroshi, helping her up again.

“Minami, what the fuck has happened to me? Please tell me this can be reversed.”

“I… honestly don’t know. IMA will have to be called in to look at your situation. For now let’s just get you to the nurse’s office.”

Hiroshi put her arm around Minami’s shoulder and briefly stumbled.

_ I am so not used to this. These… things are weighing my chest down like crazy. God damn it, my life couldn’t get any worse. _


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being turned into a girl by a yakuza blood mage, Hiroshi ends up in the nurse's office.

Hiroshi lay in a bed in the nurse’s office with a blanket draped over her body. Her head was sunk in her arms as Nurse Misaki talked to the Principal and Agent White behind the drawn curtains.

“He, or rather she,” Nurse Misaki said, “is physically stable. She has an abnormal heart rate, but that’s expected to pass. Mentally, though, she’s… anxious, depressed and confused about herself. Those issues are out of my control. I’d recommend referring her to a counsellor or therapist.”

“Thank you for taking care of her,” the Principal said.

“May we see her?” asked Agent White.

“Of course.”

The nurse pulled the curtain back and ushered the two in.

“Hi Hiroshi, the Principal and Agent White would like to speak to you.” 

“Hello Hiroshi,” said the Principal, “how are you feeling?” 

“We both know the answer to that question. The nurse can tell you.” 

“You won't need to worry, you'll have all the help you need.” 

“What I need is for all the boys to stop staring at me.” 

“I understand your concern and will make sure to address it at the next assembly.” 

“Hiroshi,” Agent White began, “I would like to talk to you about your… change.” 

“What do you want to know?” 

“As witnesses have told me, one of the yakuza responsible for the attack seemingly used blood magic before expiring from his wound. How soon did he collapse after the red light appeared?” 

“Almost immediately. Why do you ask?” 

“The current hypothesis is that he used an advanced Blood Hex, meaning that he used dangerous amounts of his own blood, possibly his life force or soul as well, to hex you into your current state. The clear intention is that he didn't want to kill or injure you. We're still waiting on the autopsy and a report from the Scholar department, so we'll know what we can do for you then.” 

“And how long will that take?” 

“We don't know, but considering how IMA is overstretched as it is, it can take weeks, if not months.” 

“Great, just the news I needed.” 

I'm sorry, but there's not a lot we can do right now. For now you should just try and adjust to your new body. There's an agent posted outside the office who will make sure only those you want to visit will come and see you.”

 

The Principal and Agent White left the nurse's office and Hiroshi threw the blanket off herself. Several of her buttons were undone to relieve pressure from her boobs. 

_They're so big… no wonder everyone stares at me._ _What if I just… touched them?_

Her hand wandered and she poked one of them. She jumped a little in shock. 

_ They feel so weird when I touch them. Better not do that again. _

The doors to the nurse's office opened and Kimiko and Isamu entered. The two looked at her with wide eyes. 

“Hiroshi, you really  _ are _ a girl now!” 

“I know,” she said. 

“Ooh, we can play dress up now! Or maybe I can put makeup on you, or-” 

“Okay,” Hiroshi interrupted, “I'll consider it, for you.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really.” 

“Aww, thank you Hiroshi!” 

Kimiko leaned in to hug her, wrapping her arms tight around her. 

“Wow, your breasts are really big and squishy!” 

“Kimiko, you're hugging me too tight.”

“Oh, sorry.” 

She let go of Hiroshi and moved out of the way for Isamu. 

“Is t-that r-really you, Hiroshi?”

“Yep.” 

“Y-You’re a g-” 

“A girl. I know.” 

“Does that still make us f-friends?” 

“Yeah, why wouldn't it?”

“W-well, girls don't like to talk to me that much and I was wondering if you'd still be friends with me.” 

“I may look like a girl but I'm still me, Isamu.” 

“Okay, I guess I'm just being paranoid.” 

_ I wonder, is he attracted to me? Ugh, best not to think about it. _

“What are you going to do now?” asked Kimiko. 

“Continue my training. I'm apparently supposed to be given as assignment soon.” 

“Don’t you have to complete your training first?” 

“Not really, Minami is the youngest IMA agent in the world.” 

“You know what your assignment will be?” 

“Not a clue.”

_ Though I'm hoping it's involving the yakuza, because I'd like to get some payback. _


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Called in by Mr. Hashimoto, Hiroshi gets her first assignment in investigating the Five Sun Syndicate's ties to a mysterious organisation they've been supplying.

Hiroshi's breasts bounced as she walked towards Mr Hashimoto’s office. She opened the door and sat down in the chair in front of Me Hashimoto’s desk.

“Hello, Kita,” he said, “I heard about your situation.”

“I'd prefer not to talk about it.”

“Of course, I understand.”

“So what's my assignment?”

“You'll be partnered with Minami Yoshiko, who I’m aware you’re already acquainted with. Your assignment is to help an investigation into uncovering an unknown group that the Five Sun Syndicate are working for or with. Your additional assignment will be to sabotage any of their operations that you come across during your investigation.”

“What’s our first lead?” she asked

“A smuggling plant that belongs to the yakuza that has been recently uncovered. It’s currently being raided by the police and IMA forces. You and Minami will assist in the raid and the investigation of the premises.”

“Today?”

“Yes, transport will be on its way to pick you up soon.”

“Fine by me.”

Hiroshi left Hashimoto’s office and waited outside the station for the transport. She checked her phone and had a message from her mother.

_ Hi sweetie, I heard what happened and just so you know I’ll love you no matter what happens, _ it read.

Hiroshi smiled and texted her back.

_ Thanks mom, it’s been difficult to… adjust. Maybe when I get home you can give me some advice? _

She hit send and put her phone away as a car pulled up outside the station. The door of the car opened and inside was Minami. Hiroshi buckled herself up and looked out the window.

“On your first assignment, eh?” Minami asked.

“Yep. It’s to investigate the Five Sun Syndicate and find out what this shadowy group is.”

“I know, I’ve read the briefing already.”

“Good for you. I’m just here to beat up yakuza punks.”

“At least you’ll get the job done. Me, I’m here to be better than most.”

“That’s a pretty egotistical attitude.”

“That’s because I have an ego bigger than your boobs.”

“Stop talking weird like that.”

“Guess I can’t help it. It comes with the ego.”

Hiroshi put in her earphones and rested her eyes.

The car stopped outside an old decrepit building which had several police cars and vans circling it. There were both police officers with their hand guns drawn and SAT officers on the ready. There was an IMA officer among the police and SAT who hurried over at the sight of Minami.

“What’s the situation here?”

“About a dozen or so armed yakuza have barricaded themselves up inside the plant. We were just preparing to attempt another breach.”

“Then get to it, or do I have to do it myself?”

“I-”

Minami ignored what the officer was about to say and walked to the front row of cars. She clasped her hands together and thrusts them forward, shattering the door to the front of the plant with a concentrated burst of wind. SAT and police officers quickly swarmed into the plant and exchanged gunfire with the yakuza inside. Hiroshi turned to Minami.

“Aren't we going in?”

“Pfft, no. That's what the SAT is for.”

“So what do we do? Wait?”

“Yep,” said Minami as she leaned against one of the cars, “that's the plan.”

Hiroshi grumpily sat on the ground and passed the time on her phone.

When the police and SAT had cleared the plant of the yakuza they called in Minami and Hiroshi. Bodies lay strewn about riddled with bullet holes, though there were several living yakuza being taken away by the police. Hiroshi and Minami took a closer look at the crates that were ready for shipping. They opened one and looked through its contents.

“Mana amps, mana spheres, some guns and other shit in here,” Hiroshi said.

“Those guns could be enchanted and that ‘other shit’ looks like phylacteries. Some serious stuff being smuggled here. Smuggling this stuff alone would land you in prison to the end of days.”

“I’d feel sorry for whoever gets held accountable but I don’t.”

“And rightly so. They’ve brought nothing but trouble and even more since their numbers have skyrocketed in the past forty years.”

“This doesn’t give us much to go on, though. We already know they smuggle, produce and sell illegal or unregistered magical items. We need a letter, email, invoice or something that can tell us who the group they’re working with is or a lead we can follow.”

“Agreed, I’ll give the order for a sweep.”

Minami left Hiroshi and spoke to the IMA officer from earlier.

Hiroshi herself turned her attention to the offices above, climbing the steps to them. The offices had been trashed during the raid. Tables had been turned over, computer monitors smashed and documents thrown about the room.

“It’ll take some time to organise all the paper files. Huh, dumbasses only destroyed the monitors and not the computers themselves. Well, the yakuza aren’t the smartest bunch.”

A figure crept from behind a table and snuck up to Hiroshi. He wrapped his arm around her neck tightly and held a blade close to her face.

“And neither are you for coming here, bitch.”

_ I recognise that voice, it’s the guy who tried to mug me. _

“Do you seriously want another beating?”

“I’m in control here, so you better shut the fuck up. You cost me a finger and ruined my face. I’ll make you pay for that. Perhaps I’ll have some fun with you after I bring you with me when I get out of here.”

“It’s not my fault  you’re a fuckup who can’t pick the right targets. Honestly, I have no problems kicking your ass again. And even if I am ‘helpless’ as you think I am, one shout from me and you’ll be shot full of holes.”

“Not before you’re bleeding from the neck. You don’t want to test me.”

“You know what? I’ll be generous and give you to the count of three. One.”

“Like you’ll do anything.”

“Two. Three.”

Hiroshi threw her head backward and heard a crunching noise. The yakuza loosened his grip on her, allowing her to bring her hand around and slam his head into the wall. He fell to the floor with a loud thump as blood welled from his nose.

“Idiot.”

Hiroshi poked her head out the office door and pointed at the nearest officer.

“There’s a straggler in here and also some documents and computers that need inspecting.” 

 

She went back into the offices and searched through the documents on the floor until one caught her interest. 

“Hmm, an invoice?”

_ Twenty units of organic components, fifteen units of live subjects and nine units of classified components,  _ a part of the invoice said _. _

_ The yakuza are smuggling humans. _


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After discovering a skull at the harbour, Hiroshi visits Mr. Hashimoto to get some answers from him.

Hiroshi strolled along the harbour next to the smuggling plant. She looked at the ground and kicked a large stone into the water with a loud splash. It quickly sank and the foam that formed quickly dissipated. The water bubbled and a skull surfaced from the water. It bobbed gently and faced upwards, almost as if it was looking at Hiroshi.   

“What the fuck?” she shouted.

A nearby officer rushed over and stood with his mouth agape at what he saw.

 

Hiroshi was sat in Mr Hashimoto’s office, waiting for him. He hurried through the door and sat at his desk.

“Sorry for the delay,” he said, “I came on short notice.”

“You’ve heard what happened. Something happened at that harbour and you know, don’t you?”

“You are… correct. What happened there involved your father.”

Hiroshi raised an eyebrow.

“Seventeen years ago, when you were an infant and your sister had yet to be born, I was a rookie and was on my first mission and your father, Haruka, was my superior on my team. We called in to deal with a necromancer group operating in the harbour area you just came from. They were performing some type of ritual that nobody in IMA recognised. They… summoned something and whatever it was it killed indiscriminately, necromancer and IMA agent alike. Your father and I were the only ones to survive, but he chased the creature to the basement beneath the warehouse.”

“What happened to him? What happened to my dad?”

“He disappeared and so did the creature. Not a trace or anything. They just vanished into thin air.”

Hiroshi looked down at her lap disappointedly.

“So, he’s dead then?” she asked.

“As I said, we couldn’t find either of them, but that doesn’t mean he’s dead. He _is_ listed as MIA, but there isn’t a trace of him to be found as of yet.”

“Oh.”

“However, Ishikawa Makoto took a deep interest in the investigation to find him. Apparently he was investigating it himself even though he wasn’t on the investigation team. Should Ishikawa be arrested in the near future I’ll make sure you’ll get the chance to speak to him personally about the matter.”

“Thanks. At least I have some closure for now.”

“I’m sorry for not being able to do more. Your father saved my life on that mission and I’d do anything to find out what happened to him.”

“Same,” Hiroshi said as she stood up. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for my family.”

“It’s no problem. It’s the least I can do to repay your father.”

_And finding Ishikawa is the least I can do to repay him as well._     

  



	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After coming home for the first time since her transformation, Hiroshi begrudgingly agrees to play dress up with her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than expected.

Hiroshi slowly closed the front door and dropped her bag to the floor. Her mother hurried toward her as soon as she heard the door go and hugged her tightly.

“Oh sweetie, what have you gotten yourself into?”

“The yakuza attacked the school and one of them was an illegal and well… what happened speaks for itself.”

“No matter, you’re safe and that’s all that matters.”

“But I’m a girl… I can’t stay like this.”

“Don’t worry sweetie, I’ll love you if you’re a boy or a girl. You’re still my precious baby.”

“Thanks mom, I appreciate it, but that’s not the problem. The problem is that people have been… staring. I mean, just look at me!”

Hiroshi stretched her arms out and her shirt was brought to the brink of tearing under the pressure from her massive breasts.

“My… things are almost as big as yours and I look like some sort of prostitute. And all the boys were staring at me when I change. God knows what sick fantasies they were thinking.”

“Don’t go saying things like that about yourself. You’re not alone, me and your sister are here to help you.”

“What do we do first?”

“Well, first thing’s first, we got to get you clothes that fit you. For now, you’ll have to borrow some of Kimiko’s clothes until we find you some clothes that properly fit you.”

“Does that mean I’ll have to wear her bras as well?”

“I’m a bigger cup than you, so none of my bras will fit you. For now you’ll have to wear your sister’s bra.”

“Okay. She’s a smaller cup than me so maybe one of her bras will make my breasts less noticeable.”

Footsteps ran across the upper floor and down the stairs.

“Hey sis!” Kimiko said as she hugged Hiroshi.

“Hey Kimi. You alright?”

“Absolutely! Have you made up your mind yet? Can we do dress up?”

“Ugh, sure.”

“Yay! Thank you sis!”

“Aww, spending time with your sister?” Yoshiko said.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with her?”

Kimiko led Hiroshi to her pink room and began rummaging through her wardrobe. She threw a pink skirt, suspenders, a shirt and a pair of heels onto the bed before continuing to rummage through it. She then produced a white thigh-high dress and a pair of low heels.

“So, which outfit do you wanna try first? You gotta strip first though!” Kimiko asked eagerly.

“Uh, can I borrow some of your underwear? I don’t have any of my own yet.”

“Sure thing sis!”

Kimiko hopped over to her dresser and took out a pair of striped panties and bra, presenting them to her.

“Here you go _big_ sis!”

“T-Thanks. Could you turn around so I can get changed?”

“Why?”

“Because… I have to get naked to get dressed.”

“Oh, right, sure.”

Kimiko turned around and put her hands over her eyes, gently humming to herself. Hiroshi started by taking her blazer from her shoulders and dropping it to the floor. She then unbuttoned her shirt, button by button, slowly relieving the pressure from her swollen breasts. Her nipples were small and cute, while her soft pink areolae were of medium size. Hiroshi then kicked her trainers off and unzipped her tight trousers, which rubbed against her skin as she wriggled them off. She was left in her boxer briefs, which were riding up her butt crack and crotch but were easy to slip off.

Kimiko's panties, however, were not baggy and loose, which Hiroshi was used to. The blue and white striped undies hugged her fat, plump ass nice and tight. The bra as well was much smaller than she needed, as it looked more like a bikini than a bra. The cups themselves just covered her nipples and areola and the straps pressed into her soft flesh, accentuating her features even more.

_Damn this is tight on me… kinda snug at the same time though_

Next, Hiroshi took the dress and held it in front of her.

_Okay, how do I do this? There’s no zip, so do I just pull it over me?_

She stuck her arms through the shoulder straps and tugged the rest of the dress down her body until it stopped above her knees. After smoothing out the creases in her dress and slipping on the shoes, she turned to Kimiko and tapped her on the back.

“You can turn around now,” she said to her flatly.

Kimiko pivoted around and her face lit up with excitement at the sight of her grumpy sister in a cute, tight frilly dress.

“Wow, you look super cute! You should dress up more often.”

“T-Thanks,” she blushed. “Can I take this off now?”

“Not just yet, I wanna take photos!” Kimiko said.

“Ugh, really?” Hiroshi complained as her sister ran across the room to get her camera.

Kimiko snapped a photo of her when she was off-guard.

“H-Hey, tell me when you’re going to do that.”

“Sit on the bed and do a pose, will you?”

“What? Fine.”

Hiroshi sat on the bed and leaned back, supporting herself with her arms. The position left her chest stretched out and her cleavage showing.

“Okay, now can you roll onto your belly?”

She did so and folded her arms.

_This is crushing my boobs! Hurry up Kimi…_

“Great, that's it for the dress, now let's get to your other outfit!”

“You'll have to turn around again.”

“Okey dokey,” Kimiko said.

Hiroshi kicked off the shoes and began to take off the dress. She pulled at the bottom of the dress and tug by tug she pulled it up her body. She was met with resistance when the dress was up to her chest. She pulled and pulled, but couldn't get it past her breasts.

_Come on, damn these milk bags!_

With a great final tug she moved the dress past her boobs, which bounced wildly as a result. After that she easily pulled the dress over her head and laid it out on the bed.

_Oof, I'm glad I got that thing off. Now for the other outfit._

Hiroshi put on the shirt and began buttoning it up.

_Huh, it's less tighter than my shirt. Not by much, but it's loose enough._

She held the skirt out in front of her and stepped into it before pulling it up to her waist. The suspenders clipped onto the waist of her skirt with ease and kept it from falling down. The heels were harder to put on and were difficult to walk in. As soon as she stood up she stumbled and nearly fell.

“Uh, Kimiko, could I have some help here?”

“Sure.”

Kimiko spun around and held out an arm for Hiroshi to balance herself on.

“Okay, what you're gonna want to do is put one leg in front of the other when you walk and put your heel first.”

Hiroshi tried what Kimiko said, but stumbled again.

“Straighten your back a bit and don't walk so stiffly.”

She improved her stance and tried walking again, this time making progress. Her heels loudly clacked on the floor and she had a sway in her hips that she didn’t notice. She looked into the mirror.

_This outfit… isn't that bad. It's kinda neat._

She then walked back and forth, getting used to walking in heels.

“Okay,” Kimiko said, “time for more photos! Can you lean on the desk?”

“You're really into cutesy stuff, aren't you?”

“You betcha!”

Kimiko snapped a few photos at different angles, including a low angle shot of her rear end.

“H-Hey Kimi, don't you think this is a bit… lewd?”

“Lewd? Is that the dirty stuff adults do?”

“Never mind, I’m just talking nonsense.”

Hiroshi turned around and leaned her lower back against the desk.

“Is this good enough?” Hiroshi asked.  

“Yep! Perfect.”

Kimiko took at least a dozen photos before she decided she was done.

“Okay, we're done now. Keep the dresses, sis, they look better on you.”

“Uh, thanks, Kimiko.”

Hiroshi picked up the dress and heels and headed to her room.

She closed the door behind her and took off her shoes.

_Those things are murder on my feet. I think I'll stick to trainers for now._

She sat in her chair at her desk and powered on her computer.

A small red dot quickly appeared on the webcam before disappearing.

“Huh? That doesn’t normally happen.”

Hiroshi opened the task manager once she was logged in.

“Hmm, no programs open that would trigger my webcam. Strange. Oh well,  time to relax.”

Hiroshi unclipped her suspenders and unbuttoned her shirt before taking it off and throwing it onto her bed, all the while not noticing the red light on the webcam that had reappeared.   


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiroshi goes to school for the first time in her new form, drawing many eyes and glances and not from the best of people...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated this story in ages, writer's block and work is a bugger of a combination! Hoping to get back on track though! Sorry it's a short one.

The crowds of students poured through the gates of the school, rushing to get in. Hiroshi was among them and caught a few leers and lecherous glances from the male students. Isamu and Kimiko were already ahead of her, changing from their trainers and into their school shoes. She was wearing a short sleeved shirt and one of her sister’s skirts, which just about hid her ass.

_ Fucking pervs, those incels would just love to do who knows what to me. They’d regret trying anything on me severely. _

When at her locker she went to open unlock it, but refrained from doing so immediately when she touched the locker door _. _

_ What the fuck? It’s all sticky! What the hell is it? _

She quickly opened it and wiped her hand on her shirt, then changing from her trainers to her school shoes and shutting her locker. Isamu shut his locker too and noticed Hiroshi.

“Hello,” he said.

“Yo,” Hiroshi responded.

“You know what lesson we have first?”

“Uh, history, I think.”

“Oh no, that means we have –”

“Mr. Watanabe…”

“Shit, I’m in trouble then. I was hoping to avoid him.”

“Why? Did you forget your homework again?”

“No, I did something worse.”

“Well then, what did you do?”

“Last night I posted a picture on the school website of Mr. Watanabe edited so that he was wearing stockings and a skirt. He was angry, to put it simply.”

“Heh, worth it though.”

“Yeah,” Isamu snorted, “it gave people a good laugh.”

 

The classroom was quiet, with the only sound to be heard being Mr. Watanabe writing on the blackboard. On it was written The History of the Rift. Mr. Watanabe finished and turned around.

“The Rift,” he said, “what is it? Isamu, you look you can tell me.”

“I-It is a portal to the demons’ dimension.”

“And when did it appear?”

“Fifty years ago?”

“Sixty years ago, Isamu.”

Mr. Watanabe drew a crude drawing of the Rift on the board and wrote on the board.

“So, sixty years ago the rift first appeared and demons invaded the world. Most of them were pushed back by into their dimension by the secret magic orders around the world that made themselves known for the first time. After that, the rift was mostly sealed, though not entirely, as if it were it wouldn’t open every week. Shortly after this, the International Magic Authority was formed, which receives its funding from contributions by the international community and the United League of Nations. Hiroshi, how long does the IMA President reign for and how many have there been?”

“Initially, there was no limit on how long a President sits in office, but after the second IMA president became a demon worshipper during his reign and tried to reopen the Rift permanently, the term limit was reduced to ten years. Since IMA’s founding there have been eight presidents in office, with only four of them fully serving their terms, with the other four having died prior to serving their full term.”

“Oh, you're a smart, eh? All that special learning paying off? Think you know more than everyone else?”

“Certainly about this area of discussion.”

“That backtalk has just earned you a detention, missy.”

“Ugh.”

Hiroshi rested her head on her desk and ignored most of what Mr. Watanabe was saying. She leaned her head on the desk and looked out the window at the green trees outside the school and the clustered city further away.

_ It looks pretty. To think that out there are thousands of people each with their own lives, memories and dreams. Like caterpillars aspiring to become butterflies. _

 

Hiroshi was awoken by a sudden slam to the desk with a ruler.

“Enjoying your nap, Ms. Kita? Would you, perhaps, like to pay attention?”

She adjusted herself in her chair and frowned at Mr. Watanabe.

“Of course, I was merely resting my ears from your voice.”

Mr. Watanabe gripped the ruler tighter and beads of sweat rolled down his angry face.

“That… gets you another detention.”

“And you get a larger bald spot on that poor excuse for a head of hair.”

“It seems you’re an annoying no matter if you’re a boy or a bimbo.”

Hiroshi tightened her hand into a fist.

_ Really, that’s his best? _

“To me it seems you get angrier with the more hair you lose.”

Mr. Watanabe’s grip tightened further until the ruler began to crack. Hiroshi’s slight grin disappeared from her face.

“Is… that… all, Ms. Kita?”

There was a silence between them, with the whole class watching.  

“Yes, Mr. Watanabe.”   

He slowly marched back to the blackboard, still holding the ruler.

  
  



	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hiroshi and the magic club have a meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaagh I did it again! Sorry!

Hiroshi sat at the table in the club room. In the middle of the old wooden table was a crystal ball on a stand and the room was decorated with decor and trinkets of a magical nature. Hiroshi twiddled her thumbs, waiting.

_ Where the hell are they? _ she thought.

She summoned a flame to her hand and stared at it.

_ Pretty. _

She grew the flame and tried forming it into a ball, but it quickly grew out of control before Hiroshi extinguished it. She huffed, hunched forward in her chair and took out her phone.

_ No texts. _

But she did get a like from Isamu on a post she made on social media.

_ Huh, I didn't follow him, if I remember right. How did he find my account? _

The door to the club room opened and several people walked in. There was Minami, another girl and a boy. The girl had dirty blond hair and a cute face, while the boy had a head of black hair and both of them were in school uniform. They joined Hiroshi at the table, the two other students shaking her hand.

“Hi,” the girl said, “my name is Misaki.”

“My name’s Akira,” the boy added.

“I’m glad we’ve finally been able to gather the club,” Hiroshi said.  

“Yes, as am I,” Minami said, “recent operations concerning the Yakuza have kept us busy.”

“Oh?”

“IMA and the police have been going through all of the documentation that was found at the warehouse.”

“So what’s come up?”

“Well, there’s the human trafficking that you saw on one of the invoices, there’s also weapons, drugs, the regular stuff. “

“Any address?” 

“Yes, but they were abandoned when the investigators arrived.” 

“They must have gotten word somehow,” Hiroshi said. 

“Presumably, they have an information or spy network,” Akira suggested. 

“They certainly have the resources,” added Misaki. 

“But seem to be lacking in the intelligence department,” Hiroshi jibed, “what idiots do they hire these days anyway?” 

“The dangerous kind,” interjected Minami. “For all their flaws, these are very dangerous people who are not to be underestimated by any means. The yakuza members we've encountered so far are no different to common street thugs. The true brains of the operations lie with the leadership.” 

“Which is…?” snarked Hiroshi. 

“The Five Oyabun of the Five Sun Syndicate. Nobody knows who they really are, where they came from or anything about them really, but what is known is that they are dangerous and influential. If they want something, they will get it. And if they want someone dead, well, you might as well get yourself fitted for a coffin.” 

“Please, I can handle what they throw at me. I handled myself fine when they sent a hit squad after me.” 

“Uh huh, and look how you turned out.” 

Hiroshi gritted her teeth together and scowled at her. 

_ Who does this bitch think she is?  _

“If you got something you want to prove Minami, let's take it outside.” 

“You will sorely regret advocating for such course of action, Kita.” 

“Ladies please!” cut in Misaki. “There's no need for this catfighting. Calm yourselves, the both of you.” 

Minami and Hiroshi gave each other a scowl before the former looked away. 

“Now, to the agenda at hand,” Minami spoke. “Tomorrow we will have group training with focus on defence and support magic. On the next day, Friday, we will have a practical exam. Normally, we would have more days for training, but due to circumstances already explained, that has not been the case.”

Everyone in the room groaned in dread, all except for Minami. 

“I do not like it either, but sometimes the unpleasant must be done.” 

“So what are we doing for today then?” asked Misaki. 

A grin grew on Minami's face as she reached for something from under the table. She produced a giant stack of books and heaved them onto the table. 

“Theory,” she said. 

The club groaned again. 

  
  



	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hiroshi looks out her window when she can't sleep and gets a text from Minami with an important message the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a double upload to make up for the lack of chapters.

Hiroshi tossed and turned in her bed, but sleep would not take her. She threw off her sheets and stretched her arms and rubbed her back. 

_ Ugh, I must have slept awkwardly because my entire body is aching. _

She pressed her hands against her lower back and stretched as her breasts weighed her chest down. 

_ Damn, these things are doing murder on my back. Can't wait until I have a bra.  _

 

Hiroshi peeled her top off and stripped off her boxer shorts. She wiped of a film of sweat from her forehead. 

_ I'm going to need a shower in the morning. _

She stepped over to her bedroom window and looked outside. There was a faint orange haze over the horizon while the sky was engulfed in a dark navy blue. A car drove past on the road and the lights of the city shined in the distance. The lights of the near-empty trains carrying their last commuters, of the skyscrapers, billboards, street lights, office buildings, apartment blocks, all of it made her feel… 

_ Calm. The emptiness of it all… so peaceful. I wish this moment would last forever.  _

 

Hiroshi went back to bed, oblivious of the red light in the bushes near the house. 

 

Hiroshi woke up aching again. She rose to her feet and stretched her joints and got out her school uniform. She also produced a roll of bandages from the bedside table and began wrapping it around her chest tightly. 

“Ugh, there we go, that will make them less noticeable.” 

She slipped on a fresh pair of boxer shorts and socks before a notification on her phone caught her attention. It was a text from Minami which read: 

_ You are excused from lessons today. We have a breakthrough. Meet me at the city headquarters. Go by train and don't forget your ID. Also, bring food.  _

She tossed her phone onto her desk and let out a deep sigh. 

“Yipee.” 

 

Hiroshi had left the house with a bento containing rice balls, senbei, beef and fish slices, boiled eggs and rice covered in soy sauce. She planned to eat some rice balls later, but right now her focus was catching the train.  _ The train station is just around the corner. If I hurry, I can get a train ahead of rush hour.  _

She reached the train station and rushed through to the end of the empty lobby to booths. 

“Good morning,” she said to the employee behind the booth, slightly out of breath, “one ticket to central Kurihoro please.” 

The middle aged man behind the booth quickly looked her head to toe. 

“That will be 800 yen please.” 

Hiroshi rummaged through her bag for her purse and handed over the specified amount. 

“Here's your ticket, have a nice day.” 

“Thank you,” she said cheerily as she took the ticket.  

 

The train platform was just as empty as the lobby was, not that that was a bad thing. 

_ Ah, beautiful silence. _

She took in a deep breath of the summer air and stared into the bright blue sky. 

_ I wish my dad was here to see this… I wish he was here. _

The train was yet to come and Hiroshi did the only thing she could. She waited. 

  
  



	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hiroshi goes out to meet Minami to discuss their next plan of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, 3 chapters in 2 days. Let's keep this going!

Following the same trend, the train was also near-empty. Hiroshi was feeling tired from having woke up so early.

_ I think I'll have a nap. _

She adjusted herself in her seat and closed her eyes, awaiting dreams.

She opened her eyes to find herself inside what she thought was a manor. She was standing in the middle of the lobby, which was littered with bloodied and dismembered bodies.

_ Am I dreaming? What’s going on, some kind of ball? _

There was a man who Hiroshi had seen before, Makoto Ishikawa, standing over one of the guests with his foot pressed down on his chest while he held another guest by their face. A blue flame burst from the inside of the second guest’s face and was absorbed into Ishikawa through his hand. He threw the smouldering husk to the ground and turned his attention to the guest on the floor. He looked at him with a blank expression before decapitating him with one clean swing of his katana. He took a few steps back, waiting.

In a shroud black smoke, a man in a ragged and bloody IMA uniform appeared, wielding his own sword. He had a messy black hair, blackened veins and dry, split skin.

“It took you long enough,” Ishikawa said, “Killing your underlings is hard business.”

“To be honest with you,” the man said in a hoarse voice, “I don’t care what happens to them, I’m only here because you caught my interest. I was busy with more important matters, but I can spare some time.”

Ishikawa lunged at the man with lightning speed, narrowly missing his abdomen. He swung his sword in a sideways arc, hitting his mark this time before knocking him back with a telekinetic push. The man, in response, brought his sword up in an underarm attack but was parried and countered by Ishikawa with a gust of fire to his chest and arm. The man was unphased by the attack, not even bothering to extinguish the flame. He dashed at Ishikawa with the same speed he did, unleashing a torrent if attacks on him with his sword and bringing forth a craze of razor sharp arcs of misty-black energy. Ishikawa channelled his magic into increasing his speed and reaction time, dodging the attacks of the man in the tattered uniform.

Ishikawa lunged at him again, driving his sword through his target and sending the pair of them tumbling into the torrential rain outside. Ishikawa pulled his blade from the man before the latter could recover, but took several steps back for him to recover.

“Tonight, fiend, you are banished.”

The man dug the end of his sword into the ground, supporting himself on the handle and heaving himself up.

“Oh you pitiful fool, you cannot banish what is already within.”

“You’ll find me  _ far _ more resilient than the one you currently inhabit. Unlike him, I know your true face.”

Hiroshi was woken up by the voice of the train driver announcing their stop.

_ What was that dream? A dream demon possibly? Hmm, doesn’t seem like it. _

She slung her bag over her shoulder and hopped off the train and onto the platform with a spring in her step. The train station was beginning to become more populated as Hiroshi left it, for which she was thankful she avoided on her journey there.

Once outside the station she examined her surroundings.

_ Which street is the headquarters at again? Ah ha, this one! _

She power walked down the sidewalk, turning corners and crossing the street until she finally reached the International Magic Authority headquarters for her city. It was a massive concrete building that always had two armed guards posted by the main entrance as well as on other floors of the complex. She approached the entrance and was stopped by the guards, who pulled out a white stone with swirling engravings. They scanned her body and bag with it and after the engravings flashed a bright green. She then showed them her ID and the guard that scanned her nodded and ushered the next person to come forward. There were two armed guards on the inside of the entrance as well, who stared stoically at her.

The interior of the building was also made out of grey concrete with very few areas not being constructed out of concrete. Hiroshi looked around for Minami and saw her standing on the staircase next to the reception desk that was opposite the front entrance. She was wearing her uniform as usual, which was always immaculate. Minami gestured for Hiroshi to come with her and she did so.

“What food did you bring?” were the first words out of Minami’s mouth.

“Lunch and some rice balls for breakfast.”

“Then give me some.”

Hiroshi begrudgingly did as she was told and gave Minami two rice balls while she ate two herself.

“So what’s the breakthrough,” Hiroshi asked with a mouthful of rice as they walked.

“You’ll see…”

Minami had led Hiroshi to a room where the case was headed at. In the centre of the room was a table with a map of the city on it and several other objects. Minami gestured to the table as she ate the last of her rice balls. Hiroshi looked at the map closer. On the map, several buildings were circled in red pen.

“You see,” Minami said, “all the buildings circled here are the buildings mentioned in the invoices we found at the smuggling warehouse. All of them were abandoned when we got there. The Yakuza have some sort of spy network in place. What this network is, how it operates and who is a part of it are all questions that we do not have the answers to. We do have a lead though.”

“Uh huh, which is?” Hiroshi asked.

“Which is that all of these warehouses were owned by a shipping company that rented the warehouses in question out to a shell company.”

“So… we talk to the shipping company to find out who rented the warehouses.”

“Now you’re starting to get it.”

“So you dragged me all the way out here for something you could have told me over the phone?”

“No, I dragged you all the way out here because we’re gonna go and speak to the head of the shipping company.”

“I’m assuming this isn’t a planned visit. What are we gonna do, just walk in through the front door?”

“Yes, that's exactly what we're going to do.”

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hiroshi and Minami give Mr Saito a visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay again, exams are keeping me busy

Minami and Hiroshi stood outside the tall apartment building, gazing up at it.

“So, this is where Mr Saito is hiding?” Hiroshi asked.   

“I wouldn’t say hiding, exactly. He most likely believes he is safe behind his guards and that his yakuza bosses will protect him.”

“Then he doesn’t know the yakuza. They’ll cut him loose when he becomes a liability,” Hiroshi said.

“His mistake.”

“Is it just us?”

“Agent White said on the phone that he was on the way, but I don’t have the patience to wait for him, so we’re going in.”

“Fair enough. I doubt he will happy.”

“It’s a good thing it’s not my job to keep him happy, for I am above such trivial matters.”

“So we’re just going to walk into the building?”

“Yes.”

“Despite Mr Saito having armed guards who will shoot us on sight if we try anything?”

“Yes.”

“And despite me not having learned defence magic yet?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Then let us not tarry any longer,” Minami said.

The two girls entered the lobby and paced towards the front desk, flashing their IMA IDs at the lady behind the desk.

“We’re conducting International Magic Authority Business,” Minami explained, “don’t mind us.”

The receptionist was left scrambling for words as the two IMA agents ignored her questions. They approached the elevator and Hiroshi hit the button for the top floor before she cracked her knuckles. Minami stood next to her and glanced at her.

“You look good,” she complimented.

“Th-Thanks,” Hiroshi said.

She paused, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Hey… can I ask you something?” she uttered.

“Oh? What is it Hiroshi darling?”

“Are my… things noticeable?”

“They’re called breasts, Kita, I know you haven’t seen any other than your own, but please, try at least.”

Hiroshi gave her an unimpressed look.

“I joke with you. You strap them down, don’t you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Keep doing that and maybe buy a bra.”

“I’m getting around to that last part.”

The elevator stopped at its destination and dinged as its doors opened.

“Well, we have arrived,” Minami said.

They left the elevator and were met by two tall men in dark suits wearing sunglasses.

“Mr Saito didn’t call for courtesans,” one of them said.

Hiroshi rolled her eyes before turning to Minami and nodding at each other. Hiroshi dropped to her hands and knees, arching her back. Minami broke into a sprint and jumped onto her back while grabbing the head of the guard in front and twisting her body to kick the guard behind him in the face with both feet. She landed and yanked the first guard’s head down to meet her knee. He tore free of her grip, wiping his bloody nose, only to buckle to the ground after a telekinetic blast to the back of the legs from Hiroshi, who put him in a headlock, squeezing his neck until he went limp. Minami brushed her fringe to the side as usual, adjusting her uniform’s sleeves. Hiroshi wiped the sweat off her forehead, satisfied with her work. At the end of the corridor they could see into the main room where several people were sat around a glass coffee table, looking over in confusion.

Minami took the lead, with Hiroshi following behind nonchalantly before sitting down on a nearby chair.

“Who the hell are you two whores? Get out before I have you shot!” one of the men sat down said.

He looked to be in his 40s or 50s and had greying hair.

“You know, your guards called us something similar,” Minami spoke, “but to answer your so politely-worded question, I am Hoshiko Minami, yes, from _that_ Minami family. My partner and I are agents of the International Magic Authority and we would like to ask you a few questions about your… _dealings,_ Mr Saito.”

Mr Saito began to fidget in his seat before springing backwards.

“Shoot the bitches!” he yelled.

The two men sat next to him jumped out of their seats, pulling out Uzis and unloading on the girls. Hiroshi ducked behind the back of the chair while Minami deflected the bullets with a defence ward and dashed backwards and summoning forth a wall of fire inches away from the gunmen, who recoiled in shock. The barrels of their guns were bright yellow and droopy.

“You can throw away your toys boys,” Minami said.

They looked at each other before raising their firsts into air and opening their hands. Lighting burst from their forearms of the one bodyguard, while ice from the second, destroying the sleeves of both bodyguards’ suits and revealing the Mana Amps beneath.

“That’s some serious hardware you got,” Hiroshi said.

“Nothing you or Mr Saito could afford,” added Minami.

The two guards charged the girls, swinging bursts of lightning and ice when they got within arm’s reach of them. Minami kept her ward up while Hiroshi dove beneath the ice projectile and punched the guard in the belly. He bent slightly, but shook it off and socking her in the face. She quickly recovered struck him across the face in return, with a telekinetic field at the front of her fist, putting him off balance. He drove his fist into the ground and large spikes of ice sprouted from the ground, but were dispersed with a large fireball from Hiroshi. She dashed forward and unleashed a series of telekinetic hits to his torso, making him cough up blood. He wiped the blood away and formed a long blade of ice from his forearm and sliced at Hiroshi’s neck, narrowly missing. In response she caught his arm and focused her telekinesis to crush his arm, shattering the blade and the Mana Amp in a fury of blue sparks before summoning a vase from the table to her hand and beating him across the head with it. He collapsed to the ground with a dazed look on his face.

 _How’s Minami doing?_ she thought.

Minami had grabbed onto the guard’s arm at the shoulder, somehow lifting him off his feet and swinging him into the nearby pillar holding up the second floor of the penthouse. She dusted her hands off and turned her attention to Mr Saito, who was cowering behind the sofa.

“Shit,” he muttered.

The girls approached him, with Hiroshi holding flames in her hand.

“Now,” Minami said, “where were we?”

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“To ask you a few questions about your clients, specifically who has been renting your warehouses in bulk.”

“I swear, I don’t know anything about them, they never told me who they were and I never spoke to them myself.”

“No,” Hiroshi agreed, “but you spoke to someone and we want to know who.”

His lips quivered.

“I-I can’t.”

Minami bent over ever so slightly, showing off her cleavage to Mr Saito.

“You _will_ tell us,” she commanded.

Mr Saito took a deep breath, struggling to avoid looking at her voluptuous breasts.

“Well?” Hiroshi said.

“I spoke with a guy, a middle man, and discussed all the arrangements with him. I don’t know what his connection to the syndicate is exactly, but I know he works for them.”

“Well that’s useful,” Hiroshi scoffed, “what did he look like? What was his name? Tell us the details, fool!”

“H-His name is –”

Agent White stormed into the room with a stern look on his face.

“You disobeyed your orders,” he said to the girls.

“Our orders were to secure Mr Saito here,” Minami said, “and that is what we have done. Please, I’d love to hear how we disobeyed orders.”

“You were supposed to wait.”

“I get it,” Hiroshi butted in, “you wanted some of the action as well and you’re angry that you didn’t get in on it. We understand and for that I we are sorry.”

“That’s not the point, the point is that you were told to wait and you didn’t.”

“Does it matter? We have Mr Saito and the threats are eliminated. Rather _questionable_ threats as well, threats I’m sure the others would like to ask a few questions about back at the station. The police get the leftovers.”

Agent White rubbed his head, sighing.

“You have a point, unfortunately. Regardless, we have what we came for. I’ll call it in, but first, let’s secure our prize piggy.”

Agent White took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Mr Saito.

“Not the chains you were hoping for, huh?” Hiroshi quipped.         

 

 

  



	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hiroshi, Minami and Agent White battle a new foe

Hiroshi was sat in the back of the van with the cuffed Mr Saito, while Minami sat behind the cage in the front of the van with Agent White. Passing the time on her phone, she occasionally looked up to see if Mr Saito was trying anything.

 

 _This creep keeps looking at my breasts, I wish I could beat the snot out of him._  

“Hey White, how long until we get back?” she called. “I’m getting bored here.”

“We should be there in about twenty minutes, depending on traffic.”

“Hmph.”

“If I tell you everything,” Mr Saito stuttered, “will I get a lower sentence?”

“I dunno, I’m no lawyer. You’ll probably do a few years in prison. I don’t really care what happens to you after this.”

His heart sank and the hopeful expression on his face vanished as he slumped in his seat. While she tapped away on her phone, she once again caught Mr Saito looking at her breasts.

“Looking at something?” she asked him.

“No, no, not at all,” he lied with a nervous laugh.

“I’m sure your wife would be happy if you were.”

“Yes, my wife… she wouldn’t not happy at all.”

“Then eyes up or eyes closed.”

 

Hiroshi put her phone away and threw her head back, sighing.

“What’s that?” Agent White muttered.

Hiroshi raised an eyebrow and opened the cage door to the front of the van and leaned on the headrests. Agent White rubbed his forehead in pain with his free hand.

“What am I looking at?” she asked.

“Up there, in the building. Some kind of light?”

Hiroshi squinted at the building before grabbing Agent White by the scruff of the neck and yanking his head to the side. Almost immediately after a bullet punched through the windshield like it was paper, hitting the headrest behind him.

“That’s bullet-proof glass!” she yelled.

“Bullet resistant!” Minami corrected as she unbuckled her seatbelt and stood behind her chair, bracing herself.

There was another shot, this time hitting the front wheel of the van. It was surly not an ordinary bullet, because a third of the front of the van exploded, flipping onto its side and scraping along the road to a halt.

  


_Fuck_ , Hiroshi thought after she was thrown backwards.

Her vision was blurry and there was a ringing in her ears.

_Saito, I’ve gotta make sure he doesn’t try and slip away._

She heaved herself up and melted the lock on the cage door away with her fire before kicking it open. Mr Saito had hit his head on the wall of the van during the explosion and was out cold on the floor.

“Good, he’s not going anywhere for now. Shit, Minami!”     

She rushed back to the front of the van, or what remained of it to find Minami slowly returning to consciousness. Agent White, on the other hand, he was the unlucky one. His leg was twisted or broken at the knee and any movement caused him to scream in agony.

Hiroshi tried releasing his buckle, but to no avail, resorting to burning the buckle away with a thin slice of flames. Agent White fell up from his seat and landed on top of Hiroshi, who just managed to keep her balance.

“Come on, let’s get you out. Minami, get Saito and the back doors, will you?”

Minami hauled the balding man up to his feet and conjured her sword, cutting the lock between the gap in the doors in a horizontal motion before kicking the bottom one open.

 

The other cars on the road had stopped or crashed themselves, while the people in the area panicked. A harpoon or spike shot into the ground from the building with a rope attached to it. Within seconds a suited figure came zipping down the line and landing on the ground sleekly. He wore a dark black suit and had slicked back hair, with the end of the back of his hair curling into a small flick. Strapped to his back was a katana. He drew it from its sheath, which he dropped to the ground. He approached the group casually, like nothing happened.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” Agent White began, “but you’re got a lot to-”

“Quiet,” the stranger interrupted.

“What?”

“Mr Saito, I think it’s time you come with me. Our benefactors would like to have a word with you.”

Mr Saito said nothing and looked back at Minami.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said.

“I wasn’t asking, Ms Minami. Stand aside, otherwise Mr Minami will be mourning a daughter.”

“Like hell,” she spat as she readied her sword.

The stranger sighed, lowering the blade from his shoulder and took his hand out of his jacket and launched a storm of shurikens at the group and broke into a sprint while they were occupied. Minami deflected some of the shurikens, but missed one which embedded itself in her upper arm. She winced in pain and tore it out before cauterising the wound with summoned fire and deflected  the blade the stranger thrusted at her face. She batted away his sword and swung in an under arc motion, but failed to connect the attack. To compensate, she shot a streak of lightning towards him, but he ducked beneath it and aimed his sword for her belly in a sideways arc, but Minami propelled herself backwards before he struck.

Hiroshi came in from behind, having coated her forearms in a thick layer of ice, like a pair of gauntlets. She swung for his head, but he spun around and caught one of her arms and yanked her forward right before he kicked her in the gut. She doubled over, trying not to throw up. Meanwhile, Minami summoned ice spike after ice spike at the stranger. Each one was cut down or dodged and the stranger swung down at Minami, again and again until her defence faltered and he managed to land a strike on her shoulder and along her lower ribs. She blasted him backwards and clutched her wounds.

Agent White stood on the side, think of what to do.

_Damn it I’ll have to jump in._

“Stay here you,” he said to Mr Saito right before he encased his lower torso in ice.

He hobbled towards the conflict, dragging his injured leg. When he got close to the fight, he blasted it with a telekinetic cyclone, knocking all of the combatants back. He unleashed another one, and another and another until the stranger was nearly taken off his feet. But he stood his ground and rushed Agent White, clipping his face as he tried to put up a defence ward. Minami came in from behind and so the stranger parried her attack with a cut to her calf while he booted Agent White in the face. Hiroshi came in and stopped his attack on herself by catching his sword with her gauntlets.  He let go of the sword and clapped both sides of her head before taking his sword again and kicking her in the chin with a bicycle kick and he spun in the air to avoid the streams of flames summoned by Minami and Agent White.

“Enough,” he said.

He rolled onto the ground and turned his head to see Minami’s blade swinging down at him. He swung his sword towards her faster than lightning, cutting her blade in two. He caught the severed part of the blade and drove it through Agent White and returning back to Minami and thumping her on the head with the bottom of the handle of his own sword. Both she and Agent White collapsed to the ground, leaving Hiroshi, who charged him, swinging left and right until the stranger grabbed onto her neck and spun her several times and slamming her into the ground.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and collected what he came for. Shattering the ice with his sword, he dragged Mr Saito a few feet away from where he stood before producing something from the inside of his jacket. And in a flash of red light, he was gone.

Hiroshi’s eyes were set upon where he stood before they closed.    

   

  



	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hiroshi wakes up in the hospital and she and the team discuss the next plan of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay again, had exams. But they're done now.

Hiroshi woke to a blinding light.

_Am I in a hospital?_

She rose from what she recognised as a hospital bed and rubbed her eyes.

_I am._

The bed next to her was empty and stained with blood and Minami stood at the end of her bed with an ice pack against her forehead and several bandages wrapped around her wounds.

“Where’s Agent White?” she asked her.

“In theatre,” Minami responded.

Hiroshi slumped over and sighed.

“Who was he?” Hiroshi pondered.

“If I knew I would have his head on a plate. But it is something we will have to figure out if we want to get to the bottom of this."

“He definitely has connections to the Five Sun Syndicate. I don’t see any other reason as to why he would attack us.”

“And he’s a professional. Nobody has ever beaten me like that before. Ever.”

“We’ll get the bastard, don’t worry.”

 

Hiroshi climbed out of bed, wincing in pain. She looked down at herself, seeing the hospital gown she was wearing.

“Who undressed me? And where are my clothes?”

“Don’t worry, I made sure it was a female nurse who undressed you. And your clothes are under your bed.”

She drew the curtains and tore off the gown.

“So what’s the plan of action?” she asked while changing.

“I’m not sure. Figure out who he is, I guess, find out where he went and where Mr Saito is.”

“Well, how do you figure we go about doing that?”

“The International Magic Authority has one of the largest biometric and criminal databases in the world. Something is bound to come up. If not… well, we’ll have to come up with something.”

“Yeah. Say, does my family know that I’ve been in the hospital?”

“Yes, I think they had to wait until you were awake before they could see you. I’ll go tell the nurse.”

 

Hiroshi did up the final button on her shirt and drew back the curtains. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she took out her phone to see several messages from several people. She had messages from some people she knew in school, her mother and sister and Isamu.

_Huh, it’s nice to that people care about me still._

She put her phone away and looked up at the ceiling.

_Do people only care about me more because I’m a girl now?_

Minami came back in with Kimiko and Yoshiko trailing behind.

“Oh my sweet girl, are you okay?” Yoshiko asked.

“I’m so glad you’re alive sis!” Kimiko added.     

“Hey mom, hey Kimiko. I’m okay, aside from a little back pain.”

“You should be more careful Hoshiko,” her mother said, “I don’t want to lose you.”

“It comes with the job, so I doubt this will be the last time I end up in the hospital. Wait a minute, did you just call me Hanako?”

“Why yes, it’s a girl’s name and similar enough to yours. Plus you’re a beautiful little flower.”

“Moooom,” Hiroshi, or rather Hanako, groaned. “I’m not a girl!”

“Well you certainly look like one,” she jibed, gently tapping the underside of one of Hanako’s boobs.

“EHHH!” Hanako screamed with a bright red face.

“You have all the parts of a girl,” Yoshiko continued, “so you seem like one to me.”

“But I’m not!”

“Sure you’re not. Don’t worry dear, I’m sure you’ll find a nice man to marry and have kids with.”

She was almost left speechless and her face became even redder.

“Not. Happening,” she stated.

“If you say so dear,” Yoshiko said. “Hoshiko, I don’t think we have had the chance to meet before.”

She approached the injured schoolgirl, shaking her hand

“It is nice to meet you as well,” she said in return.

“How are your wounds?”

“Hurting, but it comes with the job.”

“Your mother and father must be so worried about you.”

“They are usually too busy to worry. They understand the risks of my occupation and that I can handle myself.”  

“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to call your parents every now and then to let them know how you are doing.”

Hanako sighed, leaning against the end of the bed.

“Yeah, it wouldn’t.”

Yoshiko glanced at her daughter. “Gods know Hanako doesn’t.”

“Ugh, I’m sorry mom, I’ve just been focused on getting payback on the bastards that turned me into a bimbo.”   

“Honey, I’ll love you no matter if you’re a boy or  girl.”

“I know and I’m thankful, but I prefer to not be stared at wherever I go or to be stalked on social media.”

“I had no idea… I’m sorry for not paying more attention. Just take it easy for now, we’ll talk about it when you’re better.”

Hoshiko put a hand of Hanako’s shoulder. “I can teach you a thing or two about dealing with that stuff. You think nobody bothered me with boobs like these?”

Hanako chuckled. “No, I doubt they didn’t. Thanks though, I appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem.”

“So what’s the plan now? We’ve lost Mr. Saito, we don’t know where he has been taken and Agent White is going to be out of commission for a while, even if he survives.”

“I may be of some assistance,” a new voice in the room said.

 

In the doorway was stood a man with red hair wearing a blue IMA uniform.

“Mr. Hashimoto?” Hanako said.

“In the flesh. I have been reassigned as your team leader until Agent White has recovered.”

“Well, at least that’s one problem out of the way. Do you have any plan?”

“No, but I have an idea on where to start.”

He took out a file from his jacket and opened it up. “While you were unconscious, I put together a draft of a profile on the attacker. Agent Minami helped me put it together.”

The file showed some basic information on him, like his appearance, notes about his fighting style and other such information.

“We were able to make a sketch of what he could look like.”

“Yeah, that looks like him,” Hanako confirmed. “How did he escape the area?”

“We’re not sure. He just disappeared. He could have used the sewers, but we didn’t find anything.”

“Then we’re at a dead end.”

“Not entirely. The police are currently searching through CCTV, so hopefully we will be able to get a lead. In failing that, well, searching for him is going to take a lot longer. I would prefer to locate him as fast as possible. You’re not the only one who wants revenge on someone.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the team suffers a major setback in their investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a short one

Hanako’s eyes were sore from looking at the computer screen for hours on end. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Mr Hashimoto took a drag of a cigarette.

“Let’s recap what we have so far,” Minami said. “The assassin entered the apartment complex at 9:23AM, twenty minutes before the attack and the same time we were loading Mr Saito into the van.”

“How could he have known what route we would take?” Hanako interjected. “There was no way he could have known.”

“I admit I am puzzled on the matter as well. He is clearly experienced, so it’s likely he’s picked up a few tricks, though I dread to think the worst.”

“You… think we have a mole? It could only be-”

“Agent White.”

“No,” Mr Hashimoto muttered, “it can’t be him. I’ve known him for nearly a decade, there’s no way he would work for the Yakuza. Hell, he was the one who helped capture the Blood Oyabun. Nearly died trying to do so, up against that blood magic of his.”

“Then maybe you don’t know him well enough.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions, we’re just speculating, we still need to go through all the evidence. “Now, we should get back to reviewing the footage.”

“Hmph.”

 

They continued going through the footage, watching through the fight and examining every detail of it with eagle-like vision.

“Okay, the assassin grabs Mr Saito and goes to leave,” Hanako noted.

Suddenly, the monitors started flickering and going haywire. ‘Video deleted’ the monitor showed. Video after video and file after file disappeared.   
“What the fuck’s going on?” she screamed.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Mr Hashimoto scrambled.

“Someone’s deleting the videos. We’ve been hacked.”

“We gotta stop them.”

They tried shutting down the computers, but they didn’t respond to their commands. Within seconds, all the videos from the attack 3 days ago had been wiped clean.

“Backups?” Mr Hashimoto asked.

“Nothing,” Minami answered.

“Shit.”

He slumped down in his chair, defeated.

“How can we ever recover from this?”

Hanako thought in contemplation. For a while there was silence.

“I… might know someone who can help us.”

His ears pricked up in attention.

“Who?”

 

The trio knocked on the door to Isamu’s house. He answered the door, dressed in shorts and a stained t-shirt.

“Umm, hello?” he said uneasily.

“Hello,” Mr Hashimoto said.

“Can I help you?”

“We are currently investigating the Five Sun Syndicate and our servers were hacked today. Vital evidence was completely erased.”

“It wasn’t me I swear!”

“Relax, that is not why we are here.”

“Oh? Then why are you here?”

“We want your help tracking down the hackers.”

“M-Me?”

“Yes, you. You’ve hacked the Five Sun Syndicate before, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I did that.”

“Then we want you do it again.”

“Well, I guess I’m kinda good at it. So what you need doing exactly?”

“We need you to track the hackers.”

“Okay then let’s go,” Isamu said.

Mr Hashimoto and Minami walked to the car, while Hanako stayed behind to listen to what Isamu had to say.

“You dragged me into this?” he whispered.

“You’re the only person I could think of who could solve this problem.”

“Oh man, now the Yakuza are gonna be showing up at my house and following me home an-”

“Oh quit moaning, you’ll be protected. And hey, you’ll be helping bring down the Five Sun Syndicate, how cool is that?”

“Kinda cool, I guess. You’ve brought me into a dangerous situation, so don’t expect me to be calm and collected.”

The two caught up with the others and hopped in the car.

 

Hanako buckled up, but the strap squished her boobs. Her nipples hardened and poked through her shirt.

_Damn it, he's gonna be staring at me now._

She rested her head against the window, closing her eyes.

_Well it's not like he's going to stop looking regardless if I'm awake. And besides, I could do with the sleep before the club training session._


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, the team manages to find those behind the hacking, among other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been busy with a joint writing project at the moment, so chapters will be coming out slower again.

Hanako was leaning back in her chair, reading a book about curses and blood magic.

_ Nothing about transformations or transmutations yet. What’s this? ‘The Cuilean’s Curse is a blood curse that, once used on someone, will allow the caster to temporarily possess the target.’ Hmm, could Agent White been cursed with this? _

Ismau was sat at the computers, working away, while Mr Hashimoto was sat at another computer. Hanako carried the book over to him and set it down on the desk. She pointed at the passage she read, not saying a word. He stopped typing, looking down at the book.

“So,” he said, “you think he could be the victim of this, then?”

She nodded.

“I hadn’t considered the possibility before. It is one we need to explore once he is awake again.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“You haven’t heard? The doctors put him in a medically induced coma yesterday. I have no idea when he’s going to be awake, so we’re going to have to wait to ask him some questions.”

“Is there anything we can do to find out if he has been cursed even if he’s comatose?”

“Perhaps, I’m not entirely sure though, as it is not my field of expertise, I’m just a field agent. I’ll run it through with the Hexologist and Medium divisions, maybe even the Psychic division. They would have a better understanding of his situation than I do.” 

“If he’s being possessed by someone, who could it be?”

“Likely someone in the Yakuza or the mysterious group they are connected to, considering all that’s happened, though I wager the former, considering your own situation.”

Hanako looked down at herself. “Yeah…”

“Curses like this normally go undetected until it’s too late, but thankfully they don’t occur often. Once a person is discovered to be afflicted with this curse, it’s usually the Hexologists and Psychic divisions who deal with it. However, the stronger the possessing entity is, the more difficult it will be to expel.”

“Then let’s make sure we’re stronger.”

“Mr Hashimoto,” Isamu said, “I’ve got something.”

He and Hanako rushed over to Isamu’s computer, sparing no time at all.

“What you got?” Hanako asked.

“Well firstly, the virus the hackers used was a Trojan, meaning that it disguised itself as a different file to avoid detection, and they used the virus to manually take control of the systems. I’ve isolated and quarantined, so it’s no longer a problem.”

“And?”

“The virus was emailed to one of the employees here, who, hopefully, downloaded it by accident.”

“Shit, another thing to worry about,” Mr Hashimoto cursed.

“However, I managed to track the IP address of the email sender, so we can get an address from that. The hackers also tried to overload the electrical systems and destroy the servers and computers before the defence systems kicked in, presumably to cover their tracks, though obviously that never happened.”

Hanako hugged Isamu, pressing her body against his. “I knew we could count on you!”

“H-Heh, it’s no problem. A-Anything to help. Now if it’s no trouble, can I find their address?”

“Sure, I just want to crack some Yakuza skulls is all.”

Hanako went back to reading her book and ,eventually, Isamu completed his task and had tracked down an address.

“So they’re based in an old office building then,” Mr Hashimoto said.

Isamu typed on the computer, bringing up information about the building. “It was abandoned a while ago, but the deed to it was bought five years ago.”

“By the hackers undoubtedly. I’ll begin organising the SAT and the rest of the team.”

“Good. Their luck is finally running out,” Hanako uttered.

“Perhaps we can find where the Five Oyabun are located, or even more evidence of their crimes. Acquiring both would be preferable.”

“If we are fast enough we can, though that depends on if the hackers know we’ve found them.”

“Still, we shouldn’t underestimate them.”

“You’re right, we shouldn’t. I did and look what happened to me. It would be so much easier to fix my situation if Minami hadn’t killed that blood mage who changed me.”

The vans and cars silently pulled up to the office building. The building was a small and dingy thing with murky windows and stained concrete walls. The SAT officers, all equipped with tactical gear, sub-machine guns and protective vest, poured out of the vehicles and surrounded  the building, with some officers going through the front of the building while others circled around the back of the building went in through the back entrance. Hanako, Minami and Mr Hashimoto, as well as some other IMA agents, went with the SAT officers around the back of the building. The two other IMA agents that joined the three wore grey coats. The one had combed, neat hair, while the other had spiky gelled hair.

They let the SAT go in first, allowing them to take out the armed Yakuza and secure the hackers. After that had been done, the IMA agents got to work. The two agents, who had not felt inclined to share their names, began scrying the building. Their eyes turned white and blue cones of light beamed from them. They seemed… distant, like they weren’t all there, like a part of them had left and was wandering elsewhere. They stood still, searching the building. Suddenly, they started walking, stiff and robot-like. They led Hanako, Minami and Mr Hashimoto up several floors and down a corridor until they reached a door. The team gathered on both sides of the door before Mr Hashimoto kicked the door down and threw up a defence ward. Hanako did the same and the two shielded the rest of the team from a hail of bullets and discharges from Mana Amps. The two scryers threw their arms up. The air rippled and propelled two gunmen off their feet. Meanwhile, Mr Hashimoto held up a ward as he stretched his fingers out. Suddenly, the weapons of the three other gunmen exploded, sending them hurdling into the wall. The two Mana Amp users hurled lightning at the team, sending their amps into overdrive. The team barely had any time to throw up wards, with Minami and Hanako being at the forefront of their barrage. Hanako was struggling, straining under the attack.

_ Fucking lucky he doesn’t have to put effort into his magic. _

She slugged through the attack, baring its weight before throwing it back at her assailant with her ward. Minami did the same and the Mana Amps short circuited, giving them a brief moment of respite. It was in this moment Hanako raised her leg in a kick, channelling her power into the kick and connecting her foot with the yakuza’s neck. His head flopped to the side as he hit the floor. Meanwhile, Minami drove a kunai through the eye of the second Amp user and out the back of his skull. The group caught their breath, looking about the room. There was a body on the floor that they had not noticed before. It looked as if it had burst into flames from the inside. Patches of skin were gone and the charred insides could be seen, while its mouth and eye sockets had been blackened with fire.

“What in the world?” Hanako muttered to herself.

“His shortcomings had proved to be… unsatisfactory,” a voice said from the shadows.

The team readied themselves for another fight as a figure draped in black robes stood up from a chair in the dark of the room. His hood hid his face completely. He seemed calm about the ordeal he found himself in.

“His failures have proved to be rather costly to both our organisations. It seems like they let anyone join the Yakuza these days.”

“Tall, dark, scary… yep, definitely a bad guy,” Hanako said. “You’re one of the people behind the Five Sun Syndicate, I presume?”

“I shall not answer your frivolous questions, boy. Instead, I offer you this.”

The stranger stretched out his arms and black mist streamed from his hands and sought out the corpses of the two Amp users. The mist burrowed its way into their chests and began spreading itself throughout the bodies. Suddenly, the bodies began twitching and convulsing, which turned into thrashing. Then, their eyes opened. They rose from the ground, with the one Minami killed tearing out the kunai and gripping it. The stranger gave curtsy before disappearing in a plume of black mist.

Hanako and Minami’s natural response was to incinerate the two undead yakuza. They lit up like bonfires, burning their clothes and setting their bodies alight. However, this did not stop them, as they continued to approach, getting faster. The yakuza Hanako killed seized her by the arm and neck. She held up a ward to keep him from coming into any closer contact for the time being.

_ Damn it, flaming him isn’t doing any good! Shit, I'm going to have to use my Seal… _

With her free hand she pulled the medallion out from beneath her shirt and squeezed it. She focused, reaching within the Seal. She summoned the power from within the medallion, focusing it to her hand. She dropped the ward and pressed her hand against the undead’s face, releasing the energy. The undead let go of her and arched its back. It let out a pained howl before exploding in a flurry of red lightning, leaving nothing behind. She gripped the medallion again and did the same to undead attacking Minami.

She slumped down onto the floor, exhausted. Minami joined her.

“So that’s what necromancy is like,” Hanako said.  


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hanako goes home and is given a pep talk

Hanako, Minami and Mr Hashimoto looked down at the decrepit corpse on the morgue table, the corpse they had taken from the hacker building. The coroners had performed an autopsy on it and Mr Hashimoto had been with them, taking notes. He set his notepad down on the side and faced the girls, who had just come in.

“What did they say?” Hanako inquired.

“Any cause of death by conventional means is out of the question, there’s just no way a person could be reduced to this state normally.”

“So what you thinking then?”

“I don’t have a definitive explanation as of yet, but I have a hypothesis. Look at the body; it’s shrivelled, dry, burned. It looks as if it spontaneously combusted, but also as if the very life has been drained from it. Now, let’s also take into account what that necromancer said, that this individual had failed him. It is my hypothesis that the necromancer we encountered stole his soul.”

“Stole his soul huh?”

Hanako contemplated the possibility.

_ Could my own soul be stolen? _

“This corpse is similar to other cases of souls being stolen,” Mr Hashimoto said, “similar conditions the body is in to other cases. Like Ishikawa Makoto’s first victims, whose souls were stolen by him.”

“They were IMA agents right? Like us?”

“Yes, though the nature of his decision to go AWOL is still debatable and there is some evidence to suggest that the truth told is not the whole truth.”

“Once we deal with the yakuza and who they work for, I’ll make sure to ask him once we track him down,” Minami interjected.

“Speaking of which, is there any word on what he has been doing or where he is?” Hanako said. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve heard anything.”

“There are reported sightings of him fighting with the resistance on Sutoku Island, though we have not been able to confirm them yet.”

“Why not? Didn’t IMA annex the island? Surely there are agents on the island who can do it?” 

“It’s a bit hard to confirm these sort of things with the amount of fighting there is. It doesn’t help that he’s become rather adept at disappearing without a trace.”

“Well, he’s good at disappearing, that’s for sure.”

“Once we have him I’ll make him disappear for good,” Minami said.

“What’s your gripe with him?”

“He has killed a number of my fellow agents and nearly me on multiple occasions. Imagine always chasing the person who has caused your life so much trouble but never catching them. Given your change, I’m sure you can.”

“Yeah… we both have people we want to hold accountable.”

“That necromancer,” Minami muttered, “he’s almost definitely part of the yakuza’s higher ups. But what kinds of work are they doing that require the yakuza to supply them?”

“Well, there’s the body parts the yakuza smuggle. Remember the invoice from the warehouse?”

“Yes, there’s that. They’re up to something strange.”

“They’re necromancers, when aren’t they doing something strange?”

“You have a point, I shall admit that. But we waste time, we need to plan our next move.”

“Which is, Mr Hashimoto?”

“The rest of the team and the police investigators are currently going through all the data we found, as well as interrogating those arrested,” he said. “It’s going to take some time to get through everything, so I suggest you return to school for now.”

“Ugh, fine, I guess. I am being paid for this, right?”

“You will receive a backlog of payment once you graduate high school and become a full member of the International Magic Authority.”

“Wait, so what am I now?”

“You are a member already, technically. To a certain extent anyway. As it stands you are still a recruit. It’s confusing, I know, but I don’t make the rules, sorry.”

“Well, at least I will have some money when I graduate.”  

“Come on, let me drop you home.”

Hanako got in Mr Hashimoto’s car with him, who drove her through the desolate night-time roads. His attention was squarely on driving, though Hanako, looking at his face, could tell there was something else on his mind.

“Hanako, you don’t mind me calling you that, do you?”

She sighed, thinking about the question. “I guess not. Why, is there something you want to talk about?”

“Why  _ do _ you hate being a girl?”

“It’s… not that easy to put into words. Besides being made to look like cheap blow-up doll, people keep staring at me and eyeing me. I can’t do anything about it because there is nothing I  _ can _ do. If I tell them not to what will they say? ‘Oh, sorry Ms Kita, forgive me!’ they would say right before they stare at my ass while I walk away. How long until some creep catches me off guard and I can’t do anything to defend myself? What then? For how long would I have to hear middle aged women mutter ‘she’s only got herself to blame, going outside looking like that’ under their breath? How long until I end up as some sad face on the news people will pay one thought to at the breakfast table until they carry on with their lives?”

Mr Hashimoto, still driving, was thinking. “Well, you’re not the first person to have those same fears. Your mother did when I first met her, after your father disappeared. And you know how she overcame those fears?”

“How?”

“She believed in herself. She accepted the possibilities of what  _ could _ happen, but told herself what  _ will _ happen. She told herself that nobody was going to control her or own her and that she would keep her family safe and give them the best lives she could.”

“Wow… did she really say that?”

“Would I lie to you, Hanako?”

“No, I guess not.”

“If you ever are having troubles, talk to your mother. She knows best.”

“Yeah… I guess she does.”

The car continued passing through the streets until Hanako finally reached home. Stepping out of the car, she waved at Mr Hashimoto, who waved back. She slipped her key into the lock and opened the door. The lights above the dining table were lit up along with the lights in the kitchen area. Yoshiko, who was in the kitchen, turned her head towards her daughter as she came in.

“Good evening sweetie!” she said. “Did you have a long day today?”

“Yeah,” Hanako sighed, “things got pretty hairy on today’s mission.”

“Aww, that’s terrible. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Those wards I learned the other day saved my life.”

“Wasn’t it that Minami girl that taught you? She’s so nice.”

“Yeah, but she’s tough to work with at times.”

Yoshiko, wiping her hands with a towel, grabbed some plates off the counter. “I’m sure you get along well enough.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Are you sure you are feeling okay? You seem very frustrated.”

“I… would prefer to talk about it after dinner, if that’s okay.”

“If that’s what prefer, dear.”

Yoshiko brought the plates over to the dining table and set them down.

“Burgers!”

“Wow, thanks mom,” Hanako said as she cracked a smile. 

“Kimiko, dinner is ready!” Yoshiko shouted upstairs.

Hanako’s sister zoomed down the stairs the very instant after she heard those words.

“Fooood!” she yelled. “Aww yeah, burger time!”

The three of them sat down and started eating their dinner.

_ Ah, this succulent flavour, mom always makes the best food! _

Meanwhile, Kimiko was tucking into her burger like a hungry wolf with juices dripping down her chin and splattering across her cheeks. She stopped to breathe and wash some of her food down with water before tearing into it again.

_ Well, it looks like she’s enjoying her food.  _

Unlike her sister, Hanako took manageable bites out of her burger, making sure to chew it well before swallowing. Their mother watched them with happiness as she took small bites out of her own burger.

After they had eaten their dinner and Kimiko and returned to her room, there was a long silence between Hanako and her mother.

“So,” Yoshiko said, “what is it that is troubling you?”

“I’m… afraid of… being violated.”

“Oh sweetie…”

“Since I have… changed, people everywhere I go people give me looks and stares. I’m scared of some creep taking advantage of me and god knows what else.”

Yoshiko gently took Hanako’s hands into her own. “I… felt the same when your father disappeared. What was a widowed mother of two supposed to do to protect herself? It was a question I thought over many times. But after a lot of thinking and self-reflecting, I finally found and answer. That answer was that  _ I _ will decide what does and does not happen to me and my children. Nobody would try to do anything to them, lest they face a woman’s wrath. And now seeing you grow up into a strong, beautiful woman, I feel as if you are prepared to carry the same authority.  _ You _ decide what happens to your own body. Whether or not the change is reversible, you dictate what people will do to you.”

Hanako smiled. “Thanks mom. I think that’s what I needed to hear. Maybe I’m just overthinking things. I’ve handled worse people than shifty creeps with brains cooked by drugs. If I can handle the yakuza and the undead, I can handle them as well.”

“That’s my girl.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hanako talks with Isamu before something unexpected happens...

Hanako ate from her bento as she watched Kimiko in the courtyard from her usual spot on the roof.

_ She’s a good student. _

Kimiko was sat with her friends, giggling about whatever they were talking about. Then, Hanako saw the doors to the roof swing open, with Isamu gasping for air as he walked through them.

“Damn stairs,” he muttered.

“Hey Isamu,” Hanako said while munching on her food.

“Hey… Hiroshi, man those stairs still take the air out of me.”

“Still not taking my advice?”

“Eh, cardio is great and all but it’s not really for me. More important stuff takes up my time.”

“Hey, there’s no shame in it. I can show you the ropes if you want.”

Hanako could picture the cogs in his head churning and turning.

“Okay,” he said, “I’ll let you know when I have some free time.”

His cheeks reddened and he became fidgety as he sat down next to her.

“Sooo, how’s your investigation going?”

“Can’t talk much about it. You were really helpful though.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, thank you. Not a lot of people thank me or anything. Most people ignore me or pick on me.”

“Hey it’s no problem, just don’t start crying and sobbing or anything like that.”

“The last time I cried was when I ate some bad wasabi and had bad bowel movements afterwards.”

“That’s an image in my head that I don’t need.”

The two chuckled, a chuckle which turned into a laugh. Isamu nearly fell over in laughter, only to be caught by Hanako.

“Careful,” she said. 

“Don’t worry, I’m faster than you think.”

“Ugh, dude, that sounds so wrong out of context.”

“It’s only wrong if you have a dirty mind.”

Hanako looked at him with a blank face. She was not impressed.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure you are. The interesting thing about apologising is that you never have to actually be sorry.”

“Hey come on, don’t be like that.”

“Hey, I’m not implying anything , I’m just making a statement.”

“That’s not the only thing you’ll be making,” Isamu mumbled.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

 

Hanako went to talk, but something was wrong. Time began to slow until everything was still, including her. She could not move a finger or utter a word.

“Full fathom five thy father lies,” a voice spoke to her,  “of his bones are coral made; those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade, but doth suffer a sea-change into something rich and strange.”

_ What the hell? Who the hell is that? _

Her surroundings got dimmer and dimmer until she was in a dark, empty space. Suddenly, a shimmering, misty figure emerged from the darkness. It was tall, possessing ash-coloured skin, long bony hands with rough claws and two large curling horns protruding from its head.

“You ask who and what I am, why this is happening and what is it that I want. I shall answer your questions, mortal. I am the one whose power you utilise with that medallion, which I have been trapped in for many mortal years. Both of us know that I shall not be free of my prison any time soon, but I ask this of you: embrace my power. It is within both of our interests that those pathetic fools you hunt do not gain possession of my prison. It would yield unfortunate consequences for both of us.”

 

Then, the demon faded back into the darkness, which was lifted by the afternoon sunlight. Time moved normally and Hanako was free to move about once again. Immediately she got up and went for her phone.

“Where are you going?” Isamu asked.

“Got to make an important call.”

Going down the stairs of the entrance to the roof, she dialled Mr Hashimoto.

“Hi, it’s me. What do you know about demons escaping their Seals?” 


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Mr Hashimoto reveals a new lead to Hanako, one which will require Hanako to do something she will hate.

“And then he disappeared?” Mr Hashimoto asked Hanako.

“Yes, just faded away.”

He jotted down some more notes on a pad.

“So let’s recap; the demon contained within your Seal somehow managed to make mental contact with you and urged you to utilise your Seal more.”

“Yeah, he said something like it would be bad if he got caught by the yakuza.”

“He’s not wrong, but he is a demon. He definitely has ulterior motives.”

“I’m more concerned about how he managed to somehow bypass the protection put on the seal. If he can bypass it once, what’s stopping it from bypassing it again?”

“From everything you’ve told me he doesn’t seem to be attempting to escape but then again, he is a demon. We have no reason to believe he won’t at some point.”

Hanako slumped in her chair and sighed. “I hate demons. Gangsters are so much easier to deal with.”

“I agree, but it is our job to deal with demons, so we can’t complain exactly.”

“You’re right, I guess. It doesn’t change the fact that I hate them.”

“Indeed. Anyway, I would prefer that you leave the Seal with me while I ensure its wards and protections are secure.”

Hanako took the Seal from underneath her shirt and tossed it to Mr Hashimoto.

“Sure,” she said, “take it off my hands. I don’t really want much to do with it until I know it’s safe.”

“Of course. It is only natural I help you, as you are my saviour’s daughter and have done a great deal in helping bring down the yakuza.”

“Thank you, truly. I have a vested interest in seeing this through and having a demon escape or be captured by the Yakuza would cause problems for everyone that frankly we don’t need right now.”

“It’s difficult enough dealing with the Yakuza alone, as well as spirits, rogue mages and other such stuff we have to deal with. Ah, that reminds me, we’ve come across some interesting information in the computers and servers we seized, a bit earlier than expected.”

“Oh?” Hanako said with a raised eyebrow.

“There is an individual who has connections to the Five Sun Syndicate. As far as we can tell, he is not involved in any of their illegal activities or if he is, he is either not heavily involved or he covers his dealings well.”

“So give me the rundown on this guy.”

“He is a wealthy businessman, making a lot of his money from weapons manufacturing. He is middle aged and normally wears a white suit and sunglasses. From the servers we seized, we know he has had meetings with lower ranking members of the Syndicate, but nothing concrete that we could arrest him for. But we’re almost certain he knows where we could find Mr Saito.”

“Why? What makes you think that?”

“He _has_ had meetings with several Syndicate members, either currently or previously in custody, who we know to have been involved in several kidnappings. Hell, he was even investigated for the disappearance of one of his associates a few years back. He definitely has some dealings with the Syndicate that can help us.”

“Okay, so bring him in then.”

“You see, that’s where the problem arises. We don’t have enough evidence to implicate him in any way with Mr Saito’s kidnapping. Because of that, we or the police don’t have the authority to bring him in for questioning. And even if we did, he has an army of lawyers that has his back, so we would end up causing more problems than we solve.”

“Sooo... what do you suggest then?”

“I suggest that we have an agent get close to get information from him.”

“What are you thinking? Also, what’s his name?” 

“He is a regular at a particular exotic dance club in the red light district, so that is our best shot. The name he goes by is… Mr Love.”

“Oh boy, I can see where this is going.”

“I propose that we send a female agent disguised as a dancer to squeeze information out of him. To butter him up, get him talking.”

“And there’s no other way to go about this?”

“It is too risky to try and recruit one of the dancers who already work there, as it would put innocents in harm’s way. And we can’t arrest him or bring him in for questioning for already stated reasons.”

“Ugh, fine. Who do you suggest be the one to do this?”

“Seeing as… it is our team is on the case and that you and Minami are the only women on the team, I feel as if it is best that you decide. This may be our only opportunity to find Mr Saito.”

_Only opportunity, huh?_

“I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I’ll do it. I’ll be the mole.”

“Wha- are you sure?”

“Yes. If this is our only chance, I will do it. I admit, it is not something I _want_ to do, but when it comes down to it, we all have to do things we don’t like at some point in our lives.”

“Are you really sure you’re okay with going through with this? I just don’t want anything bad happening to you. It would kill me.”

“Yes, I’m sure. If anything goes bad, Minami has taught me enough to handle myself when things go south.”

“I’m glad she’s the one who has been mentoring you.”

“Me too. How shall the arrangements be made then?”

“I was thinking that you would go the club and apply to join, unless you had anything else in mind.”

“No, that should work. What’s the name of this place?”

“It’s called ‘The Palace’. Your target attends most nights. It’s a sleazy place, so there won’t be much paperwork, if at all.”

“Good to know. I’m going tonight.”

“Then take this,” Mr Hashimoto said as he rummaged through his desk.

He took out an earpiece and threw handed it to her.

“It’s a custom earpiece that has been fitted to also be able to pick up and transmit audio. When you encounter Mr Love, put it in. I’ll give you advice on what to say.”

“Neat. Now if you don’t mind I have to prepare.”

“Stay safe.”

“You too,” Hanako said with a smile.

 

Hanako sat in front of her mirror with the makeup set she stole from her mother’s room in front of her. Luckily, Kimiko had to run an errand with their mother, so Hanako had the house to herself for a while.

“Okay, let’s get started with this. What goes first? Foundation I guess?”

Hanako began slapping it on before realising her mistake.

“Damn, I put too much on.”

Wiping it off with tissue paper, she began again, this time, succeeding.

“Now, powder, I think?”

The powder made her then shiny and glossy face a nice soft look.

“Huh, I don’t look half-bad.”

Then, she moved onto applying eyeliner, with which she drew small points along the top and bottom of her eyelids to a point in the corner of her eye, after which she applied some eyeshadow, giving her eyelids a soft, smoky look. Next came the contour and after that the blush, which gave her cheeks a pink glow to them. And lastly, she applied the lipstick. It gave her lips a dark pinkish red colour and made them look fuller and plumper. She looked at her face, examining it closely.

“Well, I don’t look like a completely hooker so that’s good enough. Shit, I need something to wear.”

She rummaged through her wardrobe and nearly gave up hope.

“I need something sexy and I got nothing. There’s no way I’m wearing my school uniform. I need some underwear as well. I wonder if mom got me some already.”

She opened her nightstand drawer and found exactly what she was looking for. It was a pair of plain black panties and a black bra that just about fit her.

“What to wear though? Do I still have that outfit Kimiko gave me?”

She rummaged through her wardrobe once again and found what she was looking for. That skirt, those suspenders, all of it.

“This should do.”

She threw off her uniform and slipped on her new outfit. The pink suspenders hugged her breasts tightly and her skirt hung above her knees.

“Not bad. Well, time to be a stripper.” 

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hanako goes undercover as a stripper to gain information on the location of Mr Saito

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're FINALLY getting to some sexy stuff. I know, it's been slow. Tell me about it.

The dingy streets were lit pink and red by the neon lights of the tightly packed buildings. A few people gave Hanako dirty or lewd looks as she walked by.

_ Pervs… don’t worry Hiroshi, they can’t hurt you. You’re stronger than them. _

Eventually, she found a building with “The Palace” written on the front of it in swirling neon lights.

_ Well, this is the place. _

She was stopped by a bouncer at the door.

“Watchu want?” he asked bluntly.

She gritted her teeth, hesitating to say the words. “I’ve come to apply for a job position.”

“Aight go on in, you can ask someone inside for the boss.”

She moved past the bouncer and was taken aback by the sight inside. Multiple girls were dancing on poles, shaking their breasts and asses in front of a crowd of young and middle aged alike, tossing bills at the girls left, right and centre. Meanwhile, there was a rather bored looking woman behind the bar that was on the far right side of the room. Hanako hurried over to her, waiting for the people she was serving to go away.

“Um, hi,” she said to the girl at the bar. “I’m looking to apply for a job position. Who should I speak to?”

The girl looked at her with dead eyes and pointed to a door that had the word “offices” written on it.

“There, ask to see the owner,” she said in a monotonous voice.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t.”

She knocked on the door, wondering if she should speak first.

“What?” a voice squawked from behind.

“I’ve… um, come to apply for a job. I was told to speak to the boss of this place.”

“Come on in!” he shouted.

There inside was a man wearing a pink shirt with the top buttons undone, exposing his chest. He had spiky black hair and looked short sitting at his desk.

“So you want a job, eh?” he said in that same squawky voice.

“Yes,” she said with clenched teeth.

“And looking at the way you’re dressed, you’re not looking to serve drinks, are ya?”

“No.”

“Heh, I thought so. Come on, sit down and we’ll get the interview started.”

 She did so and noticed him looking at her breasts on more than one occasion.

“So, as I understand it you are looking for a position as a dancer, correct?”

"Yes," she said with a lowered head. 

"Uh huh, why do you think you should get the job?" 

"Because you're hiring. You want young girls to dance for your clients and I'm a young girl looking for a job. Temporarily, though." 

"Hmmm. You make a good point. So tell me, you're not looking for a permanent position?" 

"No, I'm not. Should you hire me, I wish to try tonight to see whether or not I like this job enough to keep doing it." 

"Fair enough, that's a smart business decision. I respect that. Do you have any experience dancing before?" 

"No." 

"I thought not. Ah well, I'm sure it will come to you naturally. What's your name?" 

"Hanako."

"Listen Hanako, you're an attractive girl, I admit, but I have to know if you are the right girl for the job." 

_ He's not going to suggest THAT, is he?  _

"I'm gonna have to ask you to take off your clothes.  _ Not _ your underwear though, you can keep them on." 

_ I fucking new it. I hate this sleazebag. _

She stood up and turned her back to him, frowning while turned away. She pulled the suspenders from her shoulders and shimmied off the skirt. Then, she undid the buttons on her shirt and let it fall off her. There she stood, her bare body being covered by only her black underwear and bra.

"Very nice," the owner said. "Come a little closer." 

She did as she was told and he took a deeper look at her, admiring every curve of her body. 

"Mmm you're perfect for the job."

_ I want to kill him so bad. _

"Say, there's a special client coming in. Give him a private dance and if he is pleased, you're hired. If you're still up for the job, that is."

"What is his name?" 

"Mr Love." 

_ Huh, that was easy.  _

"Anything else I should know?" 

"Oh yeah, clients aren't to touch dancers. Don't forget that." 

"Right." 

Hanako put her clothes back on and headed for the private rooms, shuddering at the thought of the creepy owner touching her.

_ Ugh, I hate every bit of him. _

“When will he arrive?”

“Soon. You’ll dance for him in one of the private rooms. You can get to them through the door to the lounge area in the main room.”

Hanako left the offices and headed through the lounge, past men sat on sofas and chairs, drinking, smoking and laughing away. She chose one of the rooms, which had a lockable door, and looked around it. At the end of the room, opposite the door, was a sofa and a pole sticking out of the floor that went into the ceiling as well. 

_ A stripper pole. Greaaat. _

She pressed the button on her earpiece to activate it. There was a beep and then a voice in her ear. 

"Can you hear me?" Mr Hashinoto asked. 

"Yep." 

"Good. Your target will be here any moment so I want to go over some stuff first." 

"Okay, shoot." 

"Don't go asking him stuff directly. Be subtle, try to goad him into revealing the information himself. People like him have big egos, so try and appeal to his ego. Act like he thinks he is important as he is." 

"Gotcha. Seems simple enough. Well, apart from the whole stripper part." 

"Good luck." 

Suddenly, the handle of the door began turning and it opened. In stepped an overweight man wearing a white suit.

_ That's him. _

"Well hello beautiful," he said. 

He looked her up and down, taking in her thick, soft thighs and plump breasts. 

"Hi," she said in a voice that she tried her best to sound seductive. 

"So, I hear you're the new girl." 

"Mmm what else you hear?"

"That you'll be doing a little something-something for me." 

_ I want to rip this guy apart already. Gotta play the part first. _

She undid the top few buttons on her shirt and showed her cleavage. 

"Mmm what do you want to hear? You're a big important businessman, right? It must be tough working in such a cutthroat and demanding job. Why not take a seat and relax? Unwind a little?" 

He licked his lips and chuckled to himself. 

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, my dear." 

He strode past her, giving her another look over before flopping down on the sofa and resting his arms on the back of it.

“So… show me the goods.”

_ So, this is it, huh? _

She undid the buttons on her shirt, one by one, leaving Mr Love wanting more each time. Her shirt was unbuttoned and open, but only slightly, keeping the teasing up. She slipped the suspenders off her shoulders and tried to swing her hips in a sexy, seductive way as she took her skirt off. She saw him lick his lips and adjust his trousers.

_ He has an erection, doesn’t he? Gross… _

She ran her hands down her torso and slowly opened her shirt fully, finally revealing her luscious boobs and alluring thighs to him.

“Heh, heh, heh, you’re looking reaaal good in your underwear. Why not show me it closer?”

_ Ugh. _

She stepped forward with a sway in her walk, shaking her hips in a seductive, eye-catching movement. He reached forward to touch her, but she planted her foot on her chest and pushed him back onto the sofa.

“No touching, only looking. Those are the rules.”

“Ohoho, playing hard to get, are we?”

“I’m not a prostitute. If you want to feel a girl up so badly, go hire one.”

“Ah, a feisty one I see, I like it. Say, I can get you some training as one if you want...”

He tried to get up again, but she pressed down on his chest again.

“Some other time.”

She gripped the pole and leaned on it while simultaneously extending her rear outwards.

“Okay, time to start fishing for info,” Mr Hashimoto spoke in her ear.

_ Time to butter him up. I’ve watched enough pornos to know what to say. _

“So, what’s your name?” She asked her client.

“Well, I go by a few names, but the ladies like to call me ‘Mr Love’.”

“Mmm and why do they call you that? Is it because you have a big… heart? Or is it something else of yours that is big?”

“Heh, I tend to reveal that answer to the ladies until we’re in the bedroom.”

“Mmm you must work hard to play that hard.”

“Indeed, I do work a  _ hard _ job. I own a weapon’s manufacturing company. And do some other… business on the side-lines.”

Hanako straightened her body and pressed her back against the pole and threw her chest forward.

“What kind of business? The… naughty kind?”

“You have no idea.”

“What kind of… dealings? I could make it up to you if you tell me. I could help you release some of that… stress from all the  _ hard _ work you do.”

“Well, when you put it that way I’m happy to oblige. You see, I have some dealings with a… less than legal organisation. You have probably seen them about, the Five Sun Syndicate, specifically. Our dealings are that if I supply them with weapons, they will  _ disappear _ anyone who disrupts my businesses.”

“Sounds dangerous. How do you know you won’t get caught?”

“Well, let’s just say money washes away all sins.”

“Interesting. And what happens to these pesky… disruptors?”

“Why do you ask? Do you have… disruptors of your own?”

“You could say that, yes.”

“Well, first I would meet with my contacts in the Syndicate and give them the information on the disruptors. Then, they do some digging and find out where they are, where they live, stuff like that. Then they nab them and take them to the  _ Workshop _ , which is set up in an old garage and adjoining house in the slums. ‘Course, the police won’t go there much and the garage masks the noise of the work the Fixers do. Say, after you… release some of my stress, I could help you out with your own  _ disruptors, _ if you like.”

“I would like that.”

_ I swear to god once this is over I’m putting him six feet under. _

“Okay, we got all the evidence we need, great job! The undercover police unit should be there any moment to arrest him, so just keep him busy.”

_ Fucking finally. _

She stepped forward and sat down next to him, putting an arm over his shoulders.

“Oh? I thought the rule was no touching?”

“Sometimes, rules have to be BROKEN!”

She suddenly grabbed him by the flab of his neck and threw him forward, smashing his face into the stripper pole. She heaved him up and smashed it a few more times before chucking him to the floor and standing on his head.

“Fucking slob, did you  _ really _ think I would ever fuck a fat bastard like  _ you _ ? Or any fat bastard for that matter? I hope this is the last time I have to go undercover.”

“Wh-Wha-?” a bloodied Mr Love stuttered.

Ignoring him, Hanako put her clothes back on, barely refraining from beating him further.

She waited for a few minutes until the police finally arrived.

“Kurihoro police department, don’t move!” they shouted at him. Still lying on the floor, he obeyed them.

“You’re under arrest,” they said to him.

“Finally, I was starting to think you wouldn’t arrive.”

“Thanks for the help agent, we’re one step closer to bringing the Five Sun Syndicate down for good.”

_ And with any luck, the last time I strip for someone. I doubt I will again. _


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hanako and Mr Hashimoto finally find Mr Saito, who tells them about one of his associates. With this new lead, they go to find him, but encounter a familiar face along the way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, had writer's block.

Mr Hashimoto was sat at the desk behind the one way mirror. On the other side of the mirror was Mr Love was being interrogated by police and IMA agents alike. Meanwhile, Hanako was slumped forward in her chair, snoring, before she sat up and rubbed the sleet from her eyes.

“So,” she yawned, “what has he said so far?”

“Other than what we already know from the audio we recorded, just some stuff about his weapon sales to the yakuza. Nothing groundbreaking so far.”

“So what’s the plan for now?”

“Well I was actually planning on tagging along with the SAT for the raid on the Workshop, you want to come with?”

“Sure, why not? I got nothing better to do.”

The two left the room and made their way to the underground parking lot.

“So,” he said, “how do you feel?”

“Let’s just say I don’t plan on getting naked for anyone again anytime soon.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, but thank you for doing so. We couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Mmm.”

When they got to the parking lot, the SAT had already suited up in their uniform and armour, checking their guns and putting their helmets on as they climbed inside the armoured vans. They got in with them and Hanako checked her phone on the way. There was a text from Isamu.

“Hey,” it read.

“What up?” She texted back.

“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime.”

“Uh, sure, where to?”

“I was thinking at one of our houses, unless you have any other ideas?”

“We could go to your house, I guess. I’m kinda busy at the moment, so I’ll let you know when I’m available.”

She tucked away her phone and closed her eyes, clutching at the Seal beneath her shirt.

The officer next to her nudged her awake and jumped out the back of the van with the other SAT officers. She stretched her arms and jumped out with the SAT, nonchalantly walking as they rushed to the entrance of the Workshop, lugging the battering ram with them. They bashed the door down and yelled commands at the yakuza inside. When they went for their guns, the SAT opened fired on them. They fell or fled to warn the others in the Workshop and the SAT made haste to follow them. There was one yakuza on the floor that still had some life left in him. Hanako and Mr Hashimoto knelt down to him. Hanako poked him a few times.

“Hey, we wanna ask you something.”

The yakuza clutched at his wounds and frailly turned his head to them.

“Where is Mr Saito? He was brought here, wasn’t he?”

“B-Basement,” he grunted.

“Cool, thanks.”

The two left him there and tried to find the entrance to the basement.

“You think he’s alive?” Mr Hashimoto asked.

“He better well be.”

As they walked through the house they saw corpses and tools laid out on tables, as well as leaking bags of gore and body parts. Eventually, they found a metal door with padlocks and chains sealing it shut. Hanako grabbed the chains and Mr Hashimoto grabbed the padlocks. Soon, the locks and chains started glowing a yellowy orange, which became brighter and brighter they became like liquid and dripped to the floor. Hanako tossed the melted chains to the floor and Mr Hashimoto shook the liquid metal off his hands.

Behind the door was a dimly lit set of stairs, the bottom of which was a room with a single, dangling light hanging from the ceiling. The light revealed a table and next to it a chair, with a bloodied person tied to it.

“Mr Saito,” Hanako muttered.

She approached him slowly and hesitated to touch him. He gave out a quiet wheezing.

“He’s alive.”

She tilted his head up and winced at the sight of his face. He had been beaten black and blue and blood welled from cuts and his nose. His eyes were swollen and by the looks of it he could hardly see.

“Looks like they wanted to have some fun with him before they tied up loose ends,” Mr Hashimoto commented. 

“Pwease, hewp me,” he groaned.

“Only if you talk,” Hanako said as she untied the ropes.

He gave a confirmative groan, but he made no attempt to stand up.

“He’s in no condition to walk, I’ll carry him. Hanako, you cover me.”

“Will do.”

Mr Hashimoto heaved Mr Saito to his feet and hauled him over his shoulders. He huffed as he struggled to lift him.

“God, he’s heavy.”

But he put his all into it and managed to lift him over his shoulders. It was strenuous on him, but he endured.

He and Hanako climbed up the stairs and through the SAT officers rushing past. Outside, Mr Hashimoto set Mr Saito down against the wall of the house and radioed in.

“Control, we have recovered Mr Saito, requesting medics to the scene for first aid and a squad to secure a suspect.”

“Copy that, they’re on the way.”

Suddenly, Mr Saito grabbed Hanako’s arm.

“Sakamoto Teijo,” he blurted before passing out.

“Who?” she asked Mr Hashimoto, who shrugged his shoulders.

“Control, can you get me a file on a Sakamoto Teijo?” he asked over his radio.

“One moment,” control replied. “Sakamoto Teijo, aged forty three, occupation, financial consultant. One known relative, son, aged twelve. No known spouse. Description, thin build, short hair, normally wears circular glasses.”

“Where does he work? We need to find him.”

“He works in the financial district for a company called Primal Solutions. You can catch him during rush hour if you hurry.”

“Thanks control.”

Mr Hashimoto poked his head inside the house and pointed at the first SAT officer he saw.

“You,” he said, “watch the suspect until a patrol car and ambulance come to pick him up.”

The officer nodded and stepped outside next to Mr Saito.

“How will we get to the financial district?” Hanako asked.

“We take the subway. It’s not rush hour yet so if we hurry we can get there before it comes.”

The two of them burst into a jog, exiting the slums and heading down to the subway station. The train itself had very few people on it and was rather spacious. When they arrived at their stop, people began to pour into the train carriages.

“We’re lucky to have made it in time,” Hanako said, “rush hour is always the worst.”

When they exited the subway station, they began scanning the streets for their target.

_ Where could he be? _

They looked and looked and almost gave up hope, until they spotted a person of Sakamoto Teijo’s description talking to a group of suits as they left the building.

They paced through the crowds, barging past people and homing in on their target, who had a worried expression on his face when he spotted them. He turned around, pretending that he didn’t see them at all, speed walking away. Hanako and Mr Hashimoto sprinted towards him, with the latter grabbing him by his collar and yanking him backwards.

“We’re with the International Magic Agency,” he explained, “and we have some questions for you.”

“Wh-What c-could you possibly need me for? I’m just a simple financial consultant.”

“Judging by how you tried avoiding us then,” Hanako said, “I think you know why.”

“I-”

“Shut up.”

There was a light gleaming in the corner of her eye. She snapped her head towards it and in a second she knew what it was. She threw up a ward and almost immediately afterwards there was a loud crack of gunfire in the air and a .50 calibre bullet crashed into the ward, a second too late. The crowds in the streets erupted into panic and confusion as the sniper unloaded shot after shot at the group.

The ward held, but just barely. Cracks and distortions began forming as the three made a run for it, trying to escape the sniper. Hanako occasionally looked back to keep a visual on them.

_ Our old friend, is it? _

The group managed to turn the corner and took a sigh of relief.

“Looks like we beat him here,” she said to Mr Hashimoto

“And just in time as well. If we arrived any later we’d have very large holes in our heads.”

“What now? Do we go after him? Call for backup?”

“He beat the snot out of us last time we tried to go after him so that’s out of the question. Hmm I guess we’ll wait for backup. Hanako?”

He turned back around and saw that she was already gone.

“Shit, why doesn’t she listen?”

Hanako sprinted down the street, dodging and blocking the shots from the sniper’s rifle with her ward.

_ You’re not getting away this time. _

She passed through the automatic doors to the building as they opened and zoomed through the lobby and into the elevator, ignoring the confused people. She spammed the button to the roof and cussed at the doors for not shutting faster. When the elevator reached the top floor she ran through the corridor and up the stairs to the roof, looking around for the assassin. He jumped off the top of the entrance to the roof and landed a kick on Hanako’s back with his feet before landing on the ground and stepping backwards.

“So,” he said, “we meet again. It seems you did not learn your lesson last time.”

“You’re a sloppy marksman. What gives?”

“I was… occupied when I learned you were going for Mr Sakamoto. I was prevented from arriving before you did. Evidently, you have become more alert since last time. Don’t worry though, I will make short work of you.”

_ I’d like to see you try. _

The assassin tightened his grip on his sword as he locked eyes with Hanako, waiting to see which one of them would make the first move. Hanako stomped her foot on the ground in a fiery blast, sending a large chunk of concrete into the air and punching it full force at the assassin with a telekinetic blast. He dodged it and attempted an underarm swing at her, but was knocked back by a blast of flames to the chest.

He patted down the singed area of his suit and gave the slightest of grins. He slowly moved his arm behind his back before edging it back to where it was. Suddenly, he threw his arm out at Hanako and launched several shurikens at her. They crashed against her ward and fell to the ground as the assassin dashed towards her.

_ It was a distraction! _

He lunged at her, unleashing a flurry of attacks at her. They missed or were blocked by her well-timed wards, but this time she slipped up. The blade cut deep through her side and buried itself in her abdomen. She cried out as the pain burned inside her body and intensified as he drew his blade from her body. He circled her as she lay on the ground in a pool of her own blood. She managed to climb onto her knees as the assassin raised his sword over his head, preparing to strike. In one fluent motion, he brought the blade crashing down towards her neck. But then, time began to slow almost to a grinding halt. Hanako felt… something connecting with her, as if it was just brushing the edges of her consciousness. It felt familiar, like an old friend or family member she hadn’t seen in years. A sudden burst of blue crackling power enveloped her body as she slammed her hands together and caught the blade with lightning speed as time resumed its normal speed. A look of surprise and shock plastered the assassin’s face. He tugged on his sword, but it did not budge. She looked up at him, with entirely white eyes crackling with energy. A surge of the blue energy shot up his sword and knocked him flying through the air and over the edge of the building.

Then that sensation, force or whatever it was, was gone as soon as it had come. Hanako pushed herself off the ground and peeked over the edge of the building. The assassin disappeared in a flash of red light as he fell through the air. Then she realised something. She felt no pain and when she looked down at her wounds, they were gone, as was the blood and the tears in her clothing. She looked up at the sky.

_ Was that my guardian spirit?  _

 


End file.
